


Taken

by 5t4c3y



Category: Disney - Fandom, Disney Princesses, Tangled (2010)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Disney, Brotherly Affection, Brotherly Love, Character Death, Danger, Dangerous, Death, Death Threats, Disney, Disney Movies, Domestic Violence, Drama, Drug Addiction, Drug Use, Drugs, F/M, Falling In Love, Gun Violence, Implied Sexual Content, Kidnapped, Kidnapping, Love, Minor Character Death, Minor Violence, Original Character(s), Princesses, Romance, Star-crossed, Terminal Illnesses, Threats of Rape/Non-Con, Threats of Violence, Violence, Washington D.C., dying, mature - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-13
Updated: 2015-02-05
Packaged: 2018-02-08 17:56:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 19
Words: 53,672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1950714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/5t4c3y/pseuds/5t4c3y
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Could You fall in love with Your kidnapper? 26 year old Flynn Rider had never had a good life. An abusive alcoholic father and a mother who walked out. Now that the two of them are gone, Eugene, Flynn's younger brother and best friend is the only family he has left, but when Eugene becomes seriously ill and needs an operation to save his life Flynn begins to worry. Insurance won't cover it and there isn't enough time to raise the money…so Flynn and his two friends, Scott and Mike Stabbington do the only thing they can think of. Kidnap the Princess of Corona. Seemed simple enough. Only problem is, Flynn didn't plan on falling in love with her...nor she with him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Taken

**Author's Note:**

> Rating: T for now but will probably rise later on.
> 
> Disclaimer: Alas, I own nothing but the idea...

...

Chapter One

He stood and watched her for what seemed like hours as she sat huddled in the corner of the attic, the image of the cable cutting into her ankles and wrists forever engraving itself into his mind. He hadn't been the one to tie her up. Hell, he had been against the idea right from the start, but after her attempts at self-defence, which resulted in Scott taking a fist to the face, they couldn't risk it. The last thing he wanted was for anyone to get hurt, or worse. Everything had to go according to plan. This wasn't about them any-more. It was about him.

Sighing, he slowly made his way towards her, her crying getting louder and more hysterical with each step he took. She scooted closer into the corner, her skinned knees pressed tightly to her heaving chest as she tried to create as much distance between the two of them as possible. She didn't get far. It wasn't until her back hit the wall that he saw just how terrified she actually was. Tears stained her beautiful face as she continued to wail, her thick golden hair sticking out in every direction. Her usual pouty lips were dry and cracked from chewing on them; a nervous habit he had discovered. The only thing he could openly admit to being happy about was the ratty black blindfold that hid the fear in her emerald-green eyes.

Ever so gently, he picked her up, causing a small gasp to escape from her throat. She was waiting for the impact of hitting the ground, or a sharp pain across the jaw, but instead all she felt was the softness of the mattress under her as he lowered her down.

"Please..." She choked out, her voice thick with fear "Please...tell me what I've done. What have I done?"

He couldn't bring himself to reply. She looked so young...So innocent. He remembered earlier that very evening, sitting at the bar watching her every move. He had never seen anyone smile so much in his life. It was contagious. He noticed everyone light up when she was around, and before long he even found himself cracking a smirk or two. He watched as she danced with a few people around her own age, but none of them grabbed her full attention. He watched as she moved to the side of the club to comfort a girl whose boyfriend had gone off with another woman, something that had surprised him since the girl had no idea who she was. But it wasn't until she made her way to the bar to buy a round of soft drinks did he catch her eye. She smiled, blushing slightly before turning quickly to look at the bartender, embarrassed at being caught. In any other situation he would have found the whole encounter rather comical. Would have probably shot her a smile and wave before going over to introduce himself. He was older than her, probably by a good eight years, yet it didn't stop her from smiling once more as she took her drinks and left. He loved her smile, and it had killed him knowing that he would be the one who would make it disappear.

"Please answer me..." She spoke softly, snapping him out of his daze "Please tell me what I've done wrong. I am so very sorry for whatever it is I have done."

"...You've done nothing wrong." He finally answered, his own voice sounding that of a strangers "This has nothing to do with you."

"Then let me go home!" She pleaded, her voice cracking as her sobs filled the room once more "If I have nothing to do with this then please…please just let me go. I promise, I promise I will not say a thing! I just want to go home."

He swallowed the lump that had risen in his throat, his own eyes beginning to burn with tears which were threatening to fall. The waves of guilt washing over him were almost unbearable as he watched her slight body heave with each breath she took, and he couldn't help but think the whole time 'Is it really worth all this?'

"I...I can't do that." He finally replied, looking down at the battered floorboards.

He tried to hide the pain in his voice, but it was inevitable.

"...You...you're going to kill me...Aren't you?" She whimpered; her head falling forward as her body began to heave once again "I'm going to die here…"

"No..." He managed to blurt out, causing her head to snap back up "If we were going to kill you we wouldn't have bothered blindfolding you." Standing straighter, he began to back away from the girl "Just...Just believe me when I say, you'll be home soon, ok? I promise you that you'll be home soon."

"When?" She asked, doubt lacing her voice.

But he didn't answer. Instead he turned and made his way out the door.

"WHEN!?"  
...

Locking the door, Flynn turned and slid to the floor, his back resting against the chipped wood as his mind slowly began to process the day's events. What the hell had he been thinking? Was this truly the easiest way? Was this their only shot? He didn't know. All he knew was that if they didn't try, then everything else would be pointless. They'd end up in prison and he would...he would end up...

He couldn't even imagine.

Feeling tears burn the back of his eyes Flynn sighed and slowly got to his feet. He could still hear her soft whimpers through the other side of the door. Hear her begging and pleas for freedom...But nothing she did could change anything. Running his fingers through his hair, Flynn headed downstairs, the drunken laughter of the Stabbington Twins becoming more and more audible. How could they rejoice at a time like this? How could they have no mercy? Turning into the living room, Flynn came face to face with Scott and Michael. His accomplices.

"Woo! Here's the man of the hour!" Cried Michael, tossing Flynn a can of beer "She cryin' her eyes out? Screaming for her Mommy?"

Michael, or Mike as he preferred, stood at around 6ft 2" and was built like a tank. He wasn't much of a talker usually. Not since he got into that bar fight where he lost his eye. But alcohol and adrenaline sure did the trick at bringing him out of his shell.

"Shut up guys." Flynn replied, setting his beer down before collapsing onto the sofa.

"Hey Flynn..." Scott smirked, quickly joining him on the couch "When do we...you know...have a little fun? I could do with a bit of fun."

Scott was probably the most sadistic person Flynn had ever encountered. He had met the brothers during detention in High School, and since that day, they had gotten into more trouble together than he had in his whole teenage life. Scott was probably slightly bulkier than Mike, and definitely held a more menacing look. He had a large scar on his chin and a set of side burns that would give Wolverine a run for his money, but apart from that, Flynn doubted that he would hardly be able to tell the brothers apart.

"Are you fucking kidding me, Scott!?" Flynn cried, jumping to his feet "No one's to touch her. She's here for one thing and one thing only. Money! So for once in your miserable life can you stop thinking about your dick and remember why we are all in this situation in the first place!"

Kicking over the coffee table, Flynn stormed out the house, slamming the door as he went. He didn't need this shit. All he needed was for everyone to stick to the plan. Sighing for what felt like the millionth time that night, Flynn lent over the railing of the porch and lit a cigarette, a habit he had kicked along with many others, but had found himself doing more of recently. It was so quiet here. Although 'here' to him, usually classified as 'nowhere' to others. There was no traffic. No buildings. There were no kids playing in the streets, or women yelling from their apartment windows. All there was, was an old house, a broken down truck and a starry sky. All there was, was them.

Taking a drag from his cigarette, Flynn pinched the bridge of his nose feeling a migraine beginning. If only his baby brother could see him now. See what he had become. What would he say? Well, he'd slap him up the back of the head for starters. A few times, probably. Then the yelling would start. But he had to do it. He couldn't just sit back and let nature take its course. He couldn't let it win. He had to fight back.

It had only started a couple of months before. The double vision, the headaches. They had just put it down to a simple migraine. That's all it could have been. So life continued on as normal. But weeks began to pass, and the migraines continued to get worse. His speech began to slur and his memory was a bit off, but Flynn, ever the optimist, knew that it wasn't anything serious. Stuff like that always happened to other people. He didn't have to worry about the amount of painkillers that were going 'missing' or the amount of days he had stayed in his bed. He was just tired! But as more time passed, Flynn could no longer pretend that everything was fine.  
...

Flynn walked into the small house, dumping his car keys on the coffee table as he headed to the kitchen for a bottle of water. It had been a long stressful day. The type of day that Flynn knew could only be fixed with a game of basketball and a few cold beers. He had to get out of the house for a while. Watching Eugene sleep on the couch all day was not healthy. But he knew everything would go back to normal soon enough.

Passing the living room, Flynn noticed that his little brother was missing from his usual spot.

"Hmm..." He smiled "He must be feeling better."

Feeling his mood lift a little, Flynn carried on to the kitchen, humming a little as he went...but that's when he saw him. On the floor with his back pressed up against the counter sat Eugene, blood pouring from his nose onto his white t-shirt. He looked at Flynn weakly, his eyes drooping slightly.

"F-Flynn..." He finally spluttered, his body shaking slightly as he tried to get up "I'm not feeling too well."

And with that he toppled back to the ground.

"Eugene!" Flynn cried, quickly skidding to a stop by his brother's side "C'mon man. C'mon bro, don't do this to me!"

Cradling his brother's head in his arms Flynn whipped out his phone and called for an ambulance. He couldn't lose his brother. Not now. Not after everything they had been through together. A drunken mom. An abusive dad. He was the only thing that had made everything bearable. Sure they hadn't always seen eye to eye. Flynn had only been eight when six-year-old Eugene Fitzherbert came to live with them, so obviously there had been some tension and hostility, but that quickly went. They became friends. Best friends. As far back as Flynn could remember Eugene had been the only constant thing in his life. He was always there, covering for him when he stole and crashed their Mom's new car. Helping him fight the addictions and get clean. And of course, caring for him when he was ill. They were each other's security. They needed each other, because with parents like theirs, they had no one else.

The paramedics arrived within a matter of minutes, although to Flynn it had felt like hours. He could only watch as Eugene was strapped into a gurney and wheeled out to the waiting ambulance, the obvious questions running through his head. Was he going to die? Would he be left on his own? Flynn's optimistic views were quickly fading.

The journey to the hospital lasted a lifetime, but when they finally arrived, Eugene was wheeled away, leaving Flynn to sit in the waiting room and fill out paperwork. The hours passed slowly, but Flynn couldn't sit. He continued to pace up and down the small room, silently praying for God to save his brother.

"The relatives of Eugene Fitzherbert..." Was what snapped Flynn out of his retrieve.

"Here." Flynn replied rushing towards the small doctor.

"I'm guessing you're his brother." She said, writing on some paper "Name please."

"Flynn Rider." He answered, the doctor looking up at him in confusion "Adopted brother."

"Alright then, Mr Rider." The doctor said "We managed to find the source of the pain that your brother has been experiencing lately, and I'm sorry to say that it isn't good news. Unfortunately we found a large tumour in your brother's brain which is pressing against his right frontal lobe. We do not know what has caused this. Many times these things just develop and in other cases they can be genetic."

But Flynn wasn't really listening. When the words 'tumour' and 'brain' had left the doctors mouth his world came crashing down. He didn't need to know why it was there, or what had caused it. It was there, and that was enough. He felt the tears burn his eyes, frustrating him further. Flynn was not the type of person to show his vulnerable side. Crying was a sign of 's what his dad used to say.

"However..." The doctor carried on, bringing Flynn back to the matter at hand "There is some good news. The tumour is operable. Unfortunately though your insurance won't cover the operation and the whole process will be quite costly."

"I don't care!" Flynn cried, his voice breaking as his hands found their way to the back of his head "I'll get the money. I don't know how, but I'll find a way. How much we talking here? Nine...ten grand"

The doctor looked at Flynn with sympathy, very reluctant to tell him.

"I'm sorry to say Mr Rider, that for this kind of procedure we will have to order in special equipment. On top of that are your hospital bills and post op treatment...I'm afraid you'll be looking at around $250,000."

The floor fell out from under his feet, causing Flynn to take a seat. Was it even possible to raise that kind of money?

"...H-how long...you know..." Flynn stuttered, staring into space as the news sunk in "How long does he have left if he doesn't get it?"

"...Roughly three to four months." She replied "I'm...I'm terribly sorry."

And with that, Flynn was left alone. He had no idea how to raise that kind of money in such a small space of time. He'd be lucky if he got two and a half grand for his old motorcycle for starters, and he highly doubted that holding a garage sale would be much help. For the first time in his life he felt totally helpless, useless even. But he couldn't give in. Through all the shit that he had managed to get himself into over the years, Eugene had not once given up on him, and Flynn would be damned if he did any different. But finding 250K would not be an easy task.

He started out by contacting his banks in search of a loan, but they quickly shut the doors on him. He visited some local drug dealers from his past, but after parting on bad terms they weren't as willing to help. His friends couldn't help and his parents were long gone. Even tracking down any of Eugene's biological relatives turned out to be impossible, and with savings of just over $5000, he was quickly beginning to realize that he may just lose this battle.

The weeks continued to pass, and Flynn was becoming more and more anxious with each passing day. Scott and Mike asked around on his behalf, but soon came back empty-handed, something that didn't surprise Flynn too much. He had quickly learned through the years that if you had a past involving drugs, people were less inclined to be 'charitable'.

"Can you think of anyone?" Flynn asked, pacing back and forth as Scott and Mike lounged about watching TV "Anyone at all!? Relative's? Friends? I mean there's got to be someone in this damn city that can help!"

"Rider...we tried, man..." Scott began, sadness evident in his voice "Don't get me wrong, I love Eugene as much as my own brother...but sometimes you need to know when enough is enough. And believe me; it kills me to say that. I would do anything for him."

"Have you considered a loan shark?" Mike asked, taking a sip of his beer "Hook would probably help you out."

"No way man! Do you remember what happened last time I saw Hook!? I took a knife to the shoulder." Flynn sighed, collapsing onto the sofa "What the hell am I going to do? I can't just sit back and watch him die you guys...I can't."

The room went silent, the only sound coming from the old telly in the corner, where His Royal Highness, King Fergus of Corona stood with his wife and daughter, waving to the cameras. Flynn couldn't help but glare. He never had to worry about money, or about his family getting ill. His daughter probably got anything that she asked Daddy for. She must have only been about 18 and nothing more than a spoiled rich kid.

He continued to watch as King Fergus shook hands with the President, his wife and daughter smiling as the crowd applauded. Something about building a Corona Embassy.

"Great..." Flynn scoffed "There's something we need. An embassy for the people of Corona! Screw a health service that we could all use. Who needs that when we can have a new building!?"

"Tell me about it..." Scott replied "Although I can say one thing, it sure is great to have a nice little piece of ass like that hanging around now."

"What?" Flynn asked.

"Her Royal Highness, Princess Rapunzel of Corona." He continued, tapping the screen where the vivacious beauty stood "Since turning 18 she's decided that she would like to spend a year or two on American soil. Go to university and shit."

"She's gorgeous." Mike smirked "You never know, maybe we'll see her around. I could definitely tap that."

But Flynn wasn't listening, all he could do was stare at her, and then it hit him. He knew how he was going to save Eugene.

"That 'Nice piece of ass, gentlemen, is what is going to save my brother." Flynn smiled, standing up and pointing at the screen "Pretty girl like that I'm sure is worth a lot of money, especially to a man like Fergus."

"...What are you talking about man?" Mike asked a little confused "Are you talking about…" Realization hit, causing his eyes to widen "She's the Princess of Corona, Flynn! Are you crazy!? You can't just…take her! She'll have bodyguards everywhere! You'll be shot before you can blink."

"Look, I'm not saying that it would be my first choice. I mean I don't want to harm the girl in any way..." Flynn replied "...But it'll work, and believe me. There'll be a moment when she's alone, and when that moment arrives, I'll be there."  
...

That had been three weeks ago, but Flynn could still remember it as if it were yesterday. It had seemed a good idea at the time. Take a rich man's daughter and force him to pay a hefty ransom to get her back. Fergus would be happy to have her back, Rapunzel would be happy that she had returned home safely and Eugene would survive. No one could lose. So after keeping tabs on her for a few days; quickly realizing that she had stayed in America alone, something that had come as a convenient surprise to all three of them, Flynn finally made his move. And now she was sitting in the attic, cold, scared and alone. She was exactly where he wanted her.

"...So why do I feel like shit..." He murmured to himself, taking one last draw from his cigarette before throwing the butt into the long grass.

Turning, Flynn looked up at the attic window. He could hear them. Scott and Mike, that was. Mocking her, laughing at her. Again he could feel the dreaded tears burn the back of his eyes, but he wouldn't let them fall. He couldn't. He had to stay focused. For Eugene's sake...and for hers.  
...

A/N: Thanks for reading guys, and please review. I'm a little rusty and need all the advice I can get. I have got most of this story written and planned out, but just want to see how it does before uploading any more. Thanks :)


	2. Better

Chapter Two

The cold wind blew through the old house, causing an unhealthy moan to escape from the high ceiling beams. It sent a shiver up Rapunzel's spine, the hairs on the back of her neck standing upright. Apart from the faint sound of voices from downstairs, there was nothing but silence. She had no idea where she could have been taken. Somewhere rural by the sound of it…or lack of. Since she had arrived she couldn't remember hearing one car pass. One sound of a horn or a person yelling in the streets. There had been nothing. Just silence. If it had been under any other circumstances, Rapunzel would have found the quietness rather peaceful. But all she felt was loneliness.

Her tears had long but dried up, the tattered blindfold crusting at the edges. This wasn't how it was meant to be. This wasn't how she was supposed to spend her time in the states. She wanted to be independent. Learn to fend for herself and have fun in the process. It was hard being the daughter of a King. His parenting skills usually outranked by his royal duties. She had wanted nothing more than to have some time apart from him, but now…now she would give everything just to be back by his side.

The wind blew once again, the cold air causing her to shiver. She had been out with a few friends. No one in particular, just a few people she had met while on her trip. They had went out for a meal and then to a local club where she had hoped to dance the night away. Dressed in a flattering knee length, purple strapless dress, she was beginning to wish she had opted for her jeans instead. Her whole body was covered in goose bumps, and her pink stilettos which were now strewn somewhere in the alley behind the club had left her feet bloody and freezing. She could tell there was a cut on her knee which, most probably, still had glass embedded inside, and a bruise on her knuckles from where she had got a lucky punch in. Her dried up tears came back full force.

"Please…" She croaked out, not knowing if anyone could even hear her "Please let me go…someone please help me…"

Exhausted from the night's events, Rapunzel leaned against the cold damp wall, the springs in the battered mattress squeaking under her weight. If only she had listened. If only she had taken Pascal up on the offer of driving her home. Or Vlad's on walking her back to her apartment.

"Are you crazy!?" Pascal had exclaimed "Do you know how dangerous it is out there…especially since you don't know the area."

But she had insisted. She was an adult living on her own for the very first time.

"I'll be fine." She smiled "I'm a big girl…How about one more round? My treat this time."

She hadn't waited for their response, instead she made her way towards the bar, weaving in and out of the bodies that moved to the beat of the music.

"What can I get ya?" The bartender had asked.

"3 Coke's." She replied.

She had never imagined herself spending a Saturday night dancing with total strangers; she had never even imagined herself being in a club before. The whole thing had seemed a little surreal, but she knew that she could quite easily get used to it. Scanning the bar Rapunzel couldn't help but smile. Everyone had seemed so happy. Safe. Lost in their own little world. Her eyes settled on one man in particular though. He had sat at the end of the bar, staring into his beer with a solemn look. He was attractive, a thought that had caught Rapunzel off guard. Broad shouldered, well defined muscles and a strong jaw. Traits that her father would have been pleased with, had he been of royal blood.

Rapunzel had watched as he scratched his stubbly chin, his hand going from his face to his shaggy brown hair. There was a mystery to him. He seemed to be the only person in the whole club who had come alone, nor had he really been dressed for the occasion. A plain black t-shirt covered by a faded leather jacket, and a pair of old jeans with a tear in the knee. Yet, in her opinion, he was probably one of the best looking men in the whole club. He had caught her looking at him, causing her attention to turn back to the bartender who had had her drinks waiting.

"Thank you" She said quickly, trying to hide her embarrassment before taking her drinks and leaving.

The rest of the night had been a bit of a blur after that. She remembered leaving the club, waving to Vlad and Pascal as she left. She remembered walking down the alleyway towards the backstreet that would take her home. And then…nothing. Just chaos. The more she thought about everything the more she could see just how stupid she had been. What would her father have said? A princess should have known better. Should have taken up the chivalrous offer from her friends.

Her tears came back once again, the fear of the unknown crippling her. Bowing her head, Rapunzel quietly began to pray.

"The Lord is my light and my salvation— so why should I be afraid?" Her soft voice filled the room "The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble?When evil people come to devour me, when my enemies and foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. Though a mighty army surrounds me, my heart will not be afraid. Even if I am attacked, I will remain confident…Father…save me."  
...

It was a good couple of hours later before Flynn had the guts to step back inside. Scott and Mike were both passed out on the couch, the only sound coming from the TV. Sighing, Flynn turned off the TV and began to head upstairs towards his 'room'. A small grungy place that had an old ratty single bed and very little furniture. It was safe to say that it was no palace that they were hiding out in. The house had once belonged to the Twins' Grandfather. A nice guy, but since he died very little had been done with it, including cleaning.

Flynn couldn't help but look towards the attic as he headed for bed. He couldn't help but stop and think about the girl who was tied up, pleading for freedom. Freedom that he so wanted to give. It was cold. Too cold to be wearing nothing but a dress. What if she was freezing…and she was bound to be hungry by now. Heading into his room, Flynn rummaged through his bag and pulled out an old sweater and a pair of sweat pants. They would probably keep her a little warmer.

Turning back out the door, Flynn stopped. He couldn't exactly dress her, and he very much doubted that she was in a state to do it herself blindfolded. How could he hide his identity from her? Rummaging through his bag once more, Flynn came across a bandana, a baseball cap and a pair of sunglasses. Disguising himself, he made his way for the attic once again, trying hard to remain as quiet as possible. The last thing he needed was for his friends to wake up.

Unlocking the door, Flynn stepped in to see Rapunzel in the same position. She was huddled in a ball on the bed, sitting as far into the corner as she could get. He could see the panic in her face as she heard his footsteps getting closer. A sight, he was beginning to realize, that he would never find easy. She choked back a sob as she tried to scoot even further into her corner.

"Don't be afraid." He spoke softly, slowly sitting on the edge of the bed.

"W-what do you want?" She replied back.

"I came to bring you some warm clothes." Flynn said "I'm going to take that blindfold off you and untie you. Let you get dressed."

"You could let me go!" She spat back.

"Believe me…" He mumbled, looking down at the ground "I really wish I could."

Standing, Flynn moved closer to her. Her whole body tensed as he reached behind her head to untie the blindfold. He watched as she slowly became accustomed to the dim room. The only source of light coming from the rays of the moon through the window. Her eyes looked worse than he had expected. Red, swollen and teary. He literally felt his heart wrench as she looked up at him. He was only thankful that the sunglasses hid his own glassy eyes. The bandana covering his trembling lip.

"I'm going to untie you now." He said, picking up her wrists "I promise I'm not going to hurt you, ok?"

Nodding with uncertainty, Rapunzel watched as her captor gently began to pull at the knots in the cords. They were tight from all the pulling that she had done, but pretty soon, he had her free.

She couldn't help but wince as he unwrapped the cable from her wrists. They were swollen and bloody. She slowly began to move them as he began the same task on her ankles, which in the end looked just as bad.

"I'm sorry." He practically whispered, never taking his eyes off the marks that had been left behind "Are you very sore?"

"No…" She replied "Only a little. It looks worse than it feels. My feet are a bit sore and I think there is glass in my knee."

"Ok…I'll have a look if you want." He said "Right now I'll turn away and let you change."

A little stunned by his chivalry, Rapunzel nodded. True to his word he stood and turned towards the door, letting her have some sort of privacy. He heard the zip of her dress, the soft thump as it fell to her ankles. Rapunzel pulled the oversized green sweater on without much delay, quickly followed by the even bigger bottoms. At least she would be a little comfier now, and a lot warmer.

"Ok…" She said, taking a seat on the bed.

Turning back round, Flynn felt the wrenching again. She looked so young. So innocent. Kneeling before her he motioned for her to roll up the pants leg to let him see her knee. It was a bit bloody. A purple bruise forming round the sides. Looking up at her for permission, Flynn gently took hold of her leg and slowly began to pick a piece of glass out from her wound.

"There ya go." He said as she winced, pulling the piece of glass out "Apart from that the wound looks pretty clean."

"…Thank you." Rapunzel replied, quickly rolling the pants leg back down "…You…you're not like the other two. You're different…You seem…kinder, almost. Is it part of your scheme? To lead me into a false sense of security? "

"No." Flynn spoke "I just have no reason to act like an asshole. This isn't a personal attack against you."

"Is it against my Father?" She gasped, worry in her eyes "Are my family in danger!?"

"No…no, nothing like that." Flynn quickly confirmed "As…horrible as it sounds…you're only here because you were in the wrong place at the wrong time...I promise I have no interest in hurting either you or your family."

Rapunzel stared up at him, her big green eyes glistening. She wanted to believe him, and if she was perfectly honest with herself, she already did. But she couldn't allow herself to confuse his acts of 'kindness' as anything other than self-seeking motions. She wasn't locked away in this attic for a vacation. She was there because he wanted something, and with her there he knew he could get it. She didn't want to think of anything bad happening, but she knew she couldn't rule it out either.

"I don't know if I should believe you..." She croaked, her usual sweet voice sounding hoarse and raspy "But if I don't...then where's my hope?"

Flynn watched as she covered her eyes, her small body heaving as she began to cry again. He could only imagine how she was feeling. She had spent her whole life in safety, never having to worry physically or financially. To find herself locked away with complete strangers would be the biggest shock to her.

"Then do believe..." He finally spoke "I promise you, you'll be safe, OK? I'm not going to let anything else happen to you. You have my word."

Again, Rapunzel looked up at him and with her tears dying down, gave a small nod. Sniffling, she wiped her nose on the long sleeve of the sweater before running her hands through her long hair. She could feel the dirt and grit through it, a twig or something stuck in the back. Oh, what she would do for a bath right then.

"Is there anything I can get you?" Flynn asked nervously "Food...water..."

"I need a bath." She replied, too embarrassed to meet his gaze "I...I need to wash the dirt off me."

Flynn could relate. He wanted nothing more than to lock himself in the bathroom and scrub until the dirt and guilt was gone.

"Uh...sure." He said, rubbing the back of his neck "We only have a shower though, so..."

"That's fine." Rapunzel answered, standing up once again, the pain in her torn up feet crippling "I just need to...be clean."

"Ok..."Flynn nodded "The other two are passed out so I'll take you down now, but we have to be quick. I don't want to give either of them a reason to act up."

"Ok."

Hobbling slightly, Rapunzel followed Flynn to the door. The pain in her feet was beginning to become unbearable, and Flynn noticed. She held on to the walls and boxes that lay strewn about as she slowly joined him. Opening the door, Flynn turned to her, and without saying anything, gently picked her up bridal style. He could feel her body tense once more at the contact, but he couldn't let her tackle the stairs in as much pain.

"Sorry..." He mumbled, her grip on his shirt loosening.

He quickly carried her down the stairs, peering round the door into the hallway to make sure that Mike and Scott were still sound. With a small sigh of relief, Flynn set her back on her feet before leading her a few feet down the hall towards the bathroom. Rapunzel couldn't help but stare in horror when he flicked on the light, and in all honesty Flynn could understand why. The once cream wall tiles had, over the years, turned a sickly nicotine stained shade of yellow, the linoleum flooring tearing at the door way and round the cracked toilet. Fit for a princess it wasn't.

"Uh..." Flynn stuttered "To work the shower, you need to turn it up to max and wait a few minutes. After that you can change the temperature."

"Thank you." Rapunzel murmured, wrapping her arms around her tiny waist.

"I...uh...I need to keep the door open a little...Just in case." He said, rubbing the back of his neck.

Rapunzel could tell that he was obviously uncomfortable about the situation, but all she did was nod slowly. Giving a slight nod in return, Flynn went out of the bathroom and lent against the wall by the door. Soon he could hear the sound of running water, and the rustle of the shower curtain. Sighing, he took off the sunglasses and pulled the bandanna down from his face. He took down his hood and removed his hat, sitting all the items on the small table which sat beside him. Running his hands through his hair, Flynn sighed again. He looked at the floor, and then back up, his eyes setting on the mirror in front of him. It had a clear view of the inside of the bathroom, and Flynn soon found himself sliding down the wall to sit on the floor when he caught a glimpse of Rapunzel's bare back as she pulled his sweater over her head. He was many things, but a peeping tom was not one of them.

Resting his head against the wall, Flynn closed his eyes, memories of him and Eugene as kids flooding his mind. Are you coming to my football game today...You're the best big brother in the world...I love you, Flynn! He could feel the tears burn the back of his eyes.

"I'm going to make it better Eugene." He whispered, a single tear running down his cheek "I'm going to make it better."  
...

A/N: So what did you think guys? Did you enjoy it? Please review, even if it's a bit of constructive criticism. Like I said, I need all the advice I can get. Thanks :)


	3. Fear

Chapter Three

The trek back up to the attic came all to quickly for Rapunzel, as Flynn carried her up the stairs. The shower had given her some form of comfort, and a bit more heat, but that was short lived as they entered the drafty room. Rapunzel kept her eyes on Flynn the whole time, thanking him when he sat her gently down on the bed. He was different. His attitude, his touch, even the tone of his voice. There was a great pain in his voice. Tucking a piece of hair behind her ear, Rapunzel looked up at Flynn sheepishly.

"Are...are you the boss?" She asked, curiosity getting the best of her.

"What do you mean?" Flynn responded, a little confused.

"Are you the one who organized all of this?" She replied, running a piece of hair between her hands. Another nervous habit he was realizing.

He was silent, his breath catching in his throat as he stared back into her big green orbs.

"Uh..." He began "Yeah..." And I hate myself because of it "I am..."

He couldn't look at her. He couldn't bear to see her eyes well up again, to see her beautiful face contort into one of fear and misery...but it didn't. Instead she sighed, her body relaxing as she gave the closest thing to a smile he had seen since her capture.

"Good..." She breathed out "At least it's you; the nicer one, and not one of the other guys. They...I get the impression they're quite unpredictable."

Flynn didn't reply, but deep in his gut he knew that he had made one of the biggest mistakes of his life asking for their help. He knew fine well what the Stabbington Twins were capable of. It hadn't even been two years since Scott had been up for a serious assault charge, something that he had denied from the beginning and was eventually found clear of. But Flynn knew that his temper and violence had been getting more and more out of control in the last couple of years, and the only reason Scott wasn't behind bars today was due to lack of evidence.

"You'll never be left alone with either of them." Flynn finally spoke "I'll make sure of it…I promise you they won't hurt you."

"Thank you..." Rapunzel nodded, another small sigh escaping from her lips.

She didn't know how long she would be spending cooped up in the attic, but the thought of having to be there in the company of those two men made the hairs on her neck stand upright.

"I best be going." Flynn said softly, causing Rapunzel to snap out of her daze "Is there anything I can get you before you go to sleep?"

"Uh, no." Rapunzel replied, backing away slightly "Are...Are you going to tie me up again?"

"No." Flynn said "I'm sorry we did that in the first place."

Nodding with a faint smile, Rapunzel climbed under the thick covers. They may have smelled like moth balls, but at least she knew she would be warm. She watched as Flynn shifted on his feet awkwardly before making his way to the door. She could feel the torment radiating off of him. It was like he didn't want to be within 20 feet of her, but at the same time didn't want to be apart. What was it that caused him to do what he did? What caused him to bring her here? What was it that was causing him so much pain?

"I'll be first up in the morning." He assured "I'll take you down for breakfast."

"Ok. Thank you." She replied back "...Goodnight."

That caught him off guard. Stopping, Flynn turned to look at her. He had watched her ride the emotional rollercoaster all night. Happiness, fear, anger and an emotion that he hadn't quite figured out yet. Compassion maybe? Probably not, but throughout the whole night she had always maintained an element of politeness. But that was probably down to the fact that she was royalty. Still, 'goodnight' was something that he hadn't heard from anyone in a very long time. Maybe this girl isn't quite what I expected after all...

"Uh...Goodnight"

...

By the time Flynn got back downstairs Scott and Mike were awake, and were already downing yet another can of beer each. The TV sat buzzing in the corner, images of news vans and flashing lights gracing it's screen. Sitting down, Flynn turned it up. It was from outside Rapunzel's apartment building. How the hell did people find out so quickly? They hadn't even sent out the ransom letter yet.

"How did this happen!" He yelled in shock.

"Her doorman..." Scott grunted, lazily pointing to the TV as a picture of the gorgeous princess flashed on the screen "He filed a police report when she didn't arrive back when she said she would. I guess because she is who she is the pigs were a little more keen to find her quickly...But you would have known all this if you weren't too busy PMS-ing. How is our lovely princess doing?"

Flynn shot him a glare, but didn't answer. Instead he glued his eyes to the TV and listened.

"Police are refusing to answer any more questions at this time..." The perky broadcaster said as officers and the forensics team moved around in the background "They are treating this case as suspicious but have not given any specific details.. At the moment it seems to be that no eye witnesses have come forward and there are no obvious leads. All we can do is hope and pray that Corona's Little Princess is found safe and soon..."

Flynn's hands flew to his hair. This was happening. It was actually happening, and they had gotten away with it. They had grabbed her without anyone seeing her. They had gotten away without anyone suspecting a thing. There was now no turning back. King Fergus and Queen Corrine were probably on a flight back to DC as they spoke.

"Fuck..." Flynn whispered before standing up "Right, first thing in the morning guys, ransom video. This is going to be over as quick as possible. With rap sheets like ours I don't want to risk it and get found out before we get the money. Scott, after that I want you to drive to the phone box outside Marco's pizzeria. There hasn't been a working CCTV camera there in about 6 years. That's where you make a call to the cops and tell them you have information. Direct them to the tape. Mike, when Scott is making the call I want you to be on the other side of town making the drop off. Stick the tape in the green trash can that was burned out a couple of weeks ago. Both these locations are quite a distance away from each other and the girls apartment. We should make it without any attention."

"Ok..." Scott, replied with a slight nod "And what about you Rider? What are you going to be doing?"

"I'll be watching the girl and visiting Eugene." Flynn said, crossing his arms over his own chest "Is there going to be a problem with that?"

Flynn could see the anger begin to rise in Scott's eyes at his challenge, but he didn't back down. He was one of the very few people who weren't afraid of him or his temper.

"Just remember Rider..." Scott continued, taking a step closer to Flynn "If I can't fuck her then neither can you."

"Was hardly planning on it." Flynn spat back "We just need to keep up the appearance of normal everyday life."

"Just make sure you keep it in your pants then." He sneered.

"I don't mix business with pleasure."

...

He didn't sleep much that night; tossing and turning, seeing every hour pass by on the clock. It was around 4 in the morning when Flynn abandoned all thoughts of sleep, got up and headed for the bathroom. A warm shower would help him relax. Help him forget everything, even for a second.

Turning on the water, Flynn stripped down and stepped in a little. He let the stream beat down his back, loosening the tight muscles in his shoulders before stepping in fully. Relaxing was a term that he wasn't too familiar with these days, so he was going to enjoy it as long as he could. The words that were etched into his shoulder blades 'Only the strong survive', was one saying that he believed was keeping him remotely sane.

He couldn't help but let his mind wander though, back to his brother...back to the Princess. He'd be waking her up in no more than two hours' time, an hour that he knew Scott and Mike were strangers to. The thought of having to see her blotchy face and swollen eyes in the day light made his stomach churn.

Turning off the shower, Flynn stepped out, his body immediately met by the cold air. Wiping the condensation away from the mirror that hung a little lopsided above the sink, he caught sight of how tired he actually looked. There were large bags under his eyes, and his usually neatly trimmed facial hair was in desperate need of a tidy up. The rest of him didn't look too hot either. His well-defined torso was scratched and scared from the years of abuse he and many others had put it through. Cigarette burns down his toned stomach from when he had pissed of the same guy one too many times, a large Celtic design tattooed up his side and down his arm, one that Eugene had pleaded with him not to get, and a faded purple scar that started on his left shoulder and came to a stop on his pec. He remembered how he got it vividly. It was a night that should have ended with him in a box when Hook and his goons had tried to 'Finish him off'. He could still remember the searing pain as the knife slashed across his body. Thankfully he was just a little faster.

Running a hand down his face, Flynn began to dry off, quickly getting re-dressed before heading back to his room. He lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling, knowing that she was just above him. He hoped that she had managed to get to sleep, that it hadn't been too cold. Hopefully come tomorrow night she would be safely home in her own bed. Everything going according to plan, the video would bring a hasty ransom.

Time seemed to speed up, and before he knew it it had just passed six o'clock. Time for breakfast. Disguising himself, Flynn quietly crept out his room, peeking in on the Stabbington's to make sure they were out cold before making his way up to the attic once again. The feeling of dread began to rise up, a walk down the Green Mile seeming more appealing, but he soon found himself standing in the dingy room, the sun just beginning to rise in the horizon. He calmed a little at the sight of her lying curled up on the bed, the blankets pulled up to her chin as she slept peacefully. At least she managed to sleep. She didn't stir as he made his way closer to the bed.

"Rapunzel..." He whispered. It was the first time he had actually said her name "Rapunzel..."

But there was no reply. She continued to sleep. Hesitantly, Flynn reached over and brushed a few strands of hair from her face. She truly was beautiful, a beauty that he hadn't seen often. It was a natural beauty. There she was in his old sweats, her elbow length golden hair curling slightly and her flawless skin without any make-up, yet she was the most gorgeous girl he had ever seen. Considering everything, she actually looked peaceful. Snapping out of his daze, Flynn moved his hand to her shoulder, giving her a gentle shake.

"Rapunzel...time to wake up." He said softly.

She groaned a little, her eyes scrunching up as they made contact with the sunlight. Turning away from the window, Rapunzel sat up slightly and looked up at Flynn bleary eyed. It took her a second to register where she was and what had happened. She let out a small sigh before looking down at her lap.

"I thought it was just a dream." She said quietly.

Flynn didn't respond, not knowing what to say. He wished it was all just a dream. That Eugene was well...But he wasn't. Clearing his throat a little he shuffled on his feet.

"Do you want to come down for some breakfast?" He asked, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Are the other two up yet?" Rapunzel replied with a shaky voice.

"Are you kidding?" Flynn said with a hint of a chuckle "I don't think those two are aware that there even is a 6 o'clock in the morning."

"Breakfast sounds good then." Smirking a little, Rapunzel climbed out the bed. It had taken her a little while to get comfy through the night, but pretty soon she succumbed to the sleep that was so desperately trying to overtake her. "I'm starving."

"Good." Flynn replied in a cheerier voice "Cause we've got a lot of food that needs eaten..." He watched as she began to shuffle a little "Are your feet still sore? Are...are you wanting me to carry you down again?"

"I'm ok." She answered gently "I'll just hold onto you a little."

Nodding, Flynn held out his hand for her. The minute their fingers brushed a bolt of electricity shot through them. Looking up at Flynn, Rapunzel gave a nervous smile before following him towards the door.

"Static..." She gasped.

There was a strange feeling in her stomach though, his too if he was honest enough. He knew that he found her attractive, and probably given any other circumstance he would have spent the previous night at the club trying to get her to leave with him, or at the very least cough up her phone number. But he had been honest with Scott the previous night. He didn't mix business with pleasure.

Quietly, Flynn led Rapunzel down the stairs and through the small hallways before coming to a stop in the kitchen. The whole house, in Rapunzel's opinion, was a dump. Wall paper peeling, large patches of mold, scarcely furnished and a smell of damp was all that she could really focus on. The kitchen wasn't much either. All it had was a cooker, a small fridge that was dented on the top, some worktops and a table that sat in the middle of the room with mismatched chairs round it. Her sheltered lifestyle had made her oblivious to the fact that people lived in such conditions.

"Take a seat." Flynn said, cutting her off from her thoughts "We've got sausage, eggs, bacon, cereal..."

"How about a bit of everything?" Rapunzel interjected a little sheepishly "Big appetite."

"Everything it is." He chuckled.

She watched as he cracked the eggs into the pan before filling a bowl with coco puffs.

"Bon appétit." He said, handing her the generous bowl.

She didn't wait long before she began to shovel the cereal into her mouth, Flynn chuckling a little.

"How lady like of you." He joked as she wiped milk from her chin with his sleeve.

"Do you know how long it's been since I've been able to sit and eat a cereal that actually tastes good!" She replied with her mouth full, her cheeks puffed out as she spoke "Too long!"

"Take it your families into the whole 'Healthy Eating' thing?" He asked, adding some bacon into another pan.

"You have no idea." She rolled her eyes "I mean granola is nice but having it every day, it can soon begin to taste like cardboard."

"I'm with you there." He replied "I'm usually done after a couple of spoonful's never mind after a couple of days."

Rapunzel giggled as she sat her spoon down in the empty bowl. She highly doubted that interaction with your kidnapper like this was 'normal', but she also doubted that having a kind kidnapper was normal too. She sat in silence, watching Flynn cook away.

"Do you like cooking?" She asked, breaking her silence.

"Ah...it's OK I guess." Flynn began "I've been doing it most my life. What about you?"

"I've never been given the chance." She replied, a little embarrassed "I've baked though. I like baking. I'm good at it too."

"That so..." He said, plating up her food "And here I am cooking you breakfast when you could be making us something a whole lot sweeter."

She rolled her eyes, smiling as he sat her plate down. She watched as he took a seat in front of her, her own reflection staring back at her in his sunglasses. His disguise was certainly affective. Not one inch of his face could be seen apart from his nose, but seeing him in this light, Rapunzel could still tell that he was familiar. That she had seen him somewhere before.

"Tastes good." She mumbled as she dug into her breakfast "I'm impressed."

"No you're not, you're just hungry." He joked, sitting back in his seat.

The room went silent, all signs of humor vanishing as Flynn cleared his throat.

"Uh...we're going to film the ransom video today." He finally said.

It was a reminder to her just why she was there.

"I take it my parents know by now." Rapunzel said softly, pushing some egg across her plate with her fork.

"Yeah." He replied "Looks like your doorman called the police when you didn't return home when you said you would."

"Francis..." She said with a faint smile "He's a nice man. He offered his wife to come over and teach me how to cook one day. Said it was a lot like baking...They're from Africa you know. He's due to retire soon too...I was going to send him and his wife to Corona for four weeks for a vacation."

"I bet he'd like that." Flynn said softly, noticing that she was speaking in the past tense "You could even show them round personally. I'm pretty sure a royal escort would make anyone feel special."

She didn't respond, just looked up at him briefly before looking back down at her eggs, continuing to push them across the plate rather than finish them off. Suddenly her appetite wasn't as big. Flynn could feel the tugging on his heart, the lurching in his belly. For a second there…there seemed to be ease. No worry. And then, like a thief in the night, it was gone. He couldn't help but sigh a little as he sat back in his seat, Rapunzel still refusing to meet his gaze for any length of time.

"Rapunzel…" He spoke softly, leaning down a little, forcing her to look at him "Please listen to me…You will see your family again. Ok? You will see Corona again. I'm not going to make you suffer any more than you already are by playing mind games with you. Ok?"

She nodded a little.

"Ok…" She whispered "I'm sorry…I'm sorry."

"Don't be." He replied back "Don't ever be sorry for anything you say or do to me. I deserve everything you've got to offer."

"…I don't know you." She said tucking her hair behind her ears "I don't know your circumstances, I don't know your upbringing and I don't know what made you do this…But what I do know is that you are not the same as your ordinary kidnapper. You are not the same as those two…animals that you have working with you…You are not a bad guy…I just feel that…and that scares me slightly…and I don't know why."

"The fear of not knowing can be a powerful thing." He mumbled, sadness evident in his voice.

"I know…" She nodded in agreement.

"…You know…I'll always remember something my brother used to say to me." Flynn began, smiling slightly through his sadness as he remembered the words that Eugene said during his 'rehabilitation' period. A period where Flynn had been nothing short of terrified "He used to say to me 'Fear can mean two things. One, it can mean Forget Everything And Run…or two…It can mean Face Everything And Rise…The choice is yours'."

"…And what did you choose?" Rapunzel asked, her voice filled with curiosity.

But for Flynn that wasn't an easy answer. Sure, he had risen up and beat the addictions but after that, life had carried on, and more fears appeared. Fears that made his rehabilitation period look like a walk in the park. Fears that he still had to face.

"…What did I choose?" He finally spoke "…I'll let you know…"  
……

A/N: Ugh! Don't know if I like this chapter too much lol. But hope you enjoyed and please review. More to come very soon :-)


	4. Rider

Chapter Four

Two hours later, Flynn found himself sitting on his own once again. The rising sun fought its way through the broken blinds as he sat staring at the buzzing TV, waiting patiently for King Fergus and Queen Corrine's public appeal to begin. The news of the Princess's disappearance was by far the most talked about subject on every channel. Sighing, Flynn brought the burning cigarette to his mouth, taking a long drag before lying back on the tatty brown couch and blowing a cloud of smoke into the air. There was still no sign of Scott or Mike waking from their comas anytime soon. The words that Rapunzel had used to describe them kept ringing in his mind. Those animals. And as much as Flynn hated to admit it, she was right.

Flicking some ash onto the floor, Flynn took another draw from his cigarette, turning up the TV when the images of Fergus and Corrine entering the conference room filled the screen. The look of despair in their eyes made it difficult for Flynn to watch. As they stared into the camera he felt like they were staring straight at him, knowing what it was that he had done. It was the first time that Flynn had seen the two of them in an informal setting. There were no fancy clothes. No expensive jewellery…There were no masks. Sitting in front of him wasn't a King and Queen. It was two parents desperate to see their daughter again.

They were surrounded by a lot of reporters, flashes from camera's capturing their grief ridden faces as microphones were pushed up under their noses. Many people began shouting their questions at once, Queen Corrine wiping fresh tears from her eyes as her husband wrapped an arm tightly around her shoulder. He looked to be fighting back his own tears as the crowd was ushered to let them speak...plead for information on their daughter's disappearance. After all, there was still no proof that she had been kidnapped.

"Today…is a sad day…" Fergus began, his voice cracking as he continued to stare into the camera "Because today I was informed that my beautiful daughter…My Rapunzel…did not return home last night." More cameras flashed as Corrine began to break down, her hand flying to her mouth to muffle her choking sobs "Today I sit here, not as a King but as a father, appealing to anyone who may hold any information on the whereabouts of our daughter. We ask that the public come forward in helping us find her. We ask that if Rapunzel herself is watching this, that she get in contact...And we also ask, that if anyone is behind her disappearance, that you do not harm her. We ask that you bring her home. Thank you."

The crowd went wild as the King and Queen were led off camera by a police officer, phone numbers flashing across the screen for anyone with information. Sighing once again, Flynn blew the last of his cigarette smoke out before dubbing out the butt. As far as he gathered the cops were still clueless as to the Princess's disappearance, but that was not going to last long. The sooner they got the tape out the way the better.

…

It had been just over thirteen hours since the Princess's disappearance, something that Detective Maximus Guard was growing more and more aware of. He had been standing off on the side lines watching the distraught parents make their appeal, occasionally scanning the crowd for any suspicious looking characters that may be involved. 22 years on the force had certainly taught him that anything was possible when it came down to a Missing Persons case.

He had been the first Detective on the scene and knew the minute that he had stepped out of the car that this wasn't a simple runaway case. Finding the Princess's pink stilettos had only confirmed that for him, but without any witnesses or CCTV footage, he didn't have anything solid to go on.

Waiting until the reporters had made their way out of the conference room, Max soon followed in the direction that the King and Queen had gone in only moments before. He found them sitting in a small room, the King with his arm wrapped tightly around his wife's shoulders as her small body heaved with sobs. It didn't matter how rich you were, or what your title was. A parent was a parent.

"Your Majesty…" Max spoke softly, causing Fergus to look up "I'm Detective Maximus Guard. I'm heading up your daughters case."

Standing, Fergus made his way over to Max, shaking his hand firmly with both of his.

"Please tell me something." Fergus said, his eyes as big as saucers "Anything…Do you believe my daughter is safe."

"I believe your daughter has been abducted, Your Majesty." Max spoke, never breaking eye contact with the burly King.

At the word 'abducted', both the King and Queen gasped, Corrine's hand flying to her mouth as she began to cry once again.

"But…" Max carried on "I also believe that if she has been abducted, that she is alive. Someone of your daughter's status is too precious for anyone to just 'do away with'. This will be purely about money."

"Then what should we do!?" Corrine cried, getting up to join her husband and the white haired detective.

"Right now…" Max replied with a sigh "All we can do is wait."

…

10 o'clock soon came and Flynn was beginning to lose his patience. The number of cigarettes in his pocket dwindling with each passing minute. The thought of having to wait another couple of hours for his friends to wake up was not something that he was particularly looking forward to. Waiting had never been his strong point. Annoyed, he shut off the TV, hoisted himself out of his seat and began to climb the stairs, making sure that he thumped on each step just a little louder than necessary.

They hadn't moved much since the last time he checked in. Both were sprawled out on their beds, their bags and empty cans of beer littering the floor around them. The curtains were drawn, but the sun was still managing to break through the small holes that covered them. Lovely sight… Making his way through the room, Flynn open the curtains, the sun light immediately waking Scott and Mike out of their slumber.

"What the fuck!" Cried Scott as he sat up, shielding his eyes from the invading light "What the hell you doing Rider!?"

"Time to wake up boys." He replied, picking up a sports bag that lay in the corner of the room before rummaging through it.

"What time is it?" Mike asked quietly, scratching his head as he yawned.

"10" Flynn said without looking up from the bag.

"10am!" Scott exclaimed "Man that's still night in my book! I'm goin' back to sleep."

But Flynn didn't say anything. He continued to look through his bag, before giving a frustrated sigh. Throwing the bag back to the floor he headed over to the small desk that sat in the corner of the room and began to look through the drawers. Sitting up fully, Scott gave his friend a confused look.

"What the fuck are you looking for!?" He cried, shooting Flynn an impatient look.

"Camcorder" Flynn said "I don't know if you two have forgotten, but we have a young girl upstairs who is desperate to get home." Finding the camera in the drawer, Flynn turned to look at his burly friends, who by the looks of things were still half asleep and ready to kill him "Time to film this video and get it over with."  
…

Rapunzel stood at the dirt spotted window staring out into the nothingness that was known as 'outside'. It was a beautiful day, a day where she would have loved to spend sitting outside basking in the sunlight. She could tell by the gentle sway of the few trees outside that there was a slight breeze and the sweet sound of birds singing brought her a little joy. Wherever it was that her captors had brought her, it was unlike any place she had seen before. For miles, all she could see was fields. Very unlike the streets of Washington DC where she was calling 'home' for the next couple of years. Just how far from the city was she?

Turning away from the window, Rapunzel couldn't help but look round the room that she was being held captive in. Dull, grey and cold. She couldn't understand how a place as beautiful as outside could be the back yard to such an awful place as this house.

It was the sound of footsteps that caused Rapunzel to snap out of her daze. Heavy footsteps. Them. Panicked, she climbed back on to the bed, scooting as far into the corner as she could before the door burst open.

Flynn could clearly see what Rapunzel meant when she said he was different from Scott and Mike. The way Scott had kicked the door open was just proof of that. He saw her jump as the two barged into the room, the fear in her big emerald eyes sickening. She tried to scurry even further into the corner as their faceless figures got closer, but was pulled into the middle of the bed when Scott grabbed her ankles and hauled her back. There was a cry of pain as his grip tightened around the tender area of her legs, Flynn wanting nothing more than to beat him into a bloody pulp. He had promised her they wouldn't hurt her.

"Hey!" He cried, storming further into the room "What the fuck are you doing?!"

"Shut up!" Barked Scott, letting her go briefly.

Again Rapunzel tried to scoot away, but Scott was just that little bit faster, grabbing her ankles once more and pulling her back into the middle of the bed. Sobbing, she began to thrash her legs about, the two brothers laughing. But with one swift movement she broke free, bringing a foot up and kicking Scott in the face. Crying out in pain, Scott's hands flew to his nose, blood seeping through the bandana that covered him.

"You bitch!" He cried before quickly backhanding her across the face.

Furious, Flynn grabbed him by the shirt, pushing him away and causing him to stumble over some boxes.

"What the fuck is wrong with you!" He cried before turning to help the crying Princess sit up "Don't you understand!? No touching her, no hurting her!"

Huffing, Scott got up and stalked over to the other side of the room, grabbing the camcorder as he and Mike began to set it up. Turning to look at Rapunzel, Flynn saw how scared she truly was...and to be honest...he was a little scared himself. He had never seen Scott act this way towards a woman before. Give someone a little ounce of power and they abuse it.

"You ok?" He whispered to her, his hand on her back as she nodded slightly "You sure?"

"Can we just get this over with?" She pleaded her voice small and timid as she tried to hold back the fear and tears that were threatening to fall once again.

Helping her up, Flynn walked her over to a chair that Mike had brought in. She looked so small. So fragile. Her wavy hair framing her tear stained face as she looked anywhere but towards the two brutes arguing over the camera. Tucking her hands inside the sleeves of the sweater, she wiped her eyes, Flynn crouching in front of her as her body gave an involuntary jerk.

"Rapunzel." He said quietly, causing her to look down towards him "I am so sorry. That was not ok…"

"RIDER!" Snapped Scott, clutching the camera in anger as he watched his friend's actions "Fucking stand up!"

Rider…A name...She finally had a name, or at least part of one. A simple slip up that had gone unnoticed had given her his name.

"You better do what he says." She whispered he eyes glassy as she placed a hand on his forearm "No point in the both of us getting hurt. I'm ok…honest."

Nodding, Flynn reluctantly got to his feet and headed over towards the two brothers, the anger boiling inside of him. It took everything in his power not to beat Scott black and blue. This was supposed to be simple! Film the video, drop it off and get the money. There was no violence.

"Quite finished?" Scott barked, closing a tape into the camera.

"Just give me the fucking camera." Flynn spat back.

Handing his friend the camera, Scott made his way over to Rapunzel, taking a post at her side as Mike stood beside Flynn holding flash cards up. Flynn felt his stomach lurch at the fear in her eyes as Scott placed a large hand on her shoulder to keep her down. It was as if his touch burned her. Like his very presence was about to make her sick. He watched as she bit her lip, turning her head away from him as she waited for filming to begin.

"You be a good girl now…" He snarled down at her.

Hitting the record button, Flynn gave a nod to Rapunzel, one that he swore she returned as she turned her attention towards the cards Mike was holding up.

"Mom…Daddy…" She began, fighting to keep her voice as calm as possible "Last night…I was taken as I walked home from a night out with friends…" She watched as Mike dropped the front card "I don't know where I am, but I want to come home…" Her voice began to crack as a tear rolled down her cheek "…I just want to come home…"

Flynn didn't know that it was possible to feel your heart break, until his began to shatter.

"…Please give them what they want…" She carried on "If you don't then they will…kill me!?"

She began to panic as she read the words, looking at Flynn then at Scott who pulled out a gun from the back of his jeans and held it to her head. She felt sick as she felt the cold metal against her skin, her life flashing before her eyes as she tried to remain as calm as possible. Flynn wanted nothing more than to stop everything and take her home, but Eugene's life depended on it. All he could do was give her a little nod to continue, and thankfully she did.

"Please…" She began once more "Just give them what they want…More instructions to follow."

Flynn cut the camera off, and stood up. Rapunzel whimpered a little as Scott pressed the barrel of the gun deeper into the side of her skull, and for a minute she actually thought that he was about to shoot her.

"Put the gun down!" Flynn cried.

Looking at his friend, Scott reluctantly lowered the gun and stalked out the room, snatching the camera out of his hand as he went. Mike slowly walked towards Flynn, brushing up against him before he leaned down into Rapunzel and whispered in her ear...

"You were lucky this time."

"Go send the fucking video!" Flynn shouted, pushing him out the door and slamming it shut.

At the sound of the brothers muttering and stomping downstairs, Rapunzel broke down, her body heaving as she sobbed into her arms. Her lip was bleeding from where she had been hit, her body shaking with fright as Flynn made his way over to her, once again kneeling in front of her. Gingerly, he put his hand out and touched her knee, a little sign to show her that he was there. She didn't wait two seconds before throwing her arms around his neck and crying into his chest, knocking him into a sitting position on the floor. Surprised at first Flynn didn't know what to do, but soon he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer into him as he rested his chin on top of her head.

"I'm so sorry…I'm so so sorry." He said, rubbing her back as she continued to cry "That wasn't supposed to happen. I didn't even know that he had a gun."

She didn't say anything. She just gripped the back of his hoodie tighter and pulled herself closer into his body. He was taken aback by her sudden gesture, but he wasn't going to move her. How could he? He had promised her that she would be safe. That they wouldn't hurt her.

"I'm sorry…" She finally mumbled, pulling back to look at him "I just got so…I thought I was about to die."

So did I…

Swallowing, Flynn tucked some or her hair behind her ear, gently cupping her cheek in his hand.

"Just remember what I said." He spoke softly "You will see Corona again."

Nodding, Rapunzel finally managed to take a deep breath, a wave of calmness beginning to overtake her. Why did she believe everything this guy was saying to her? Why did she trust him so much?

Sitting back a little, Rapunzel brushed some hair from her face, her fingers coming in contact with the cut on her lip causing her to wince a little. Her first bloody lip.

"Ahh!" She hissed, gently dabbing the tender area before wiping her hand onto the sweatpants "Great..."

Without thinking, Flynn reached up and gently pressed his thumb to her mouth, slowly swiping the blood away. He sat like that for what felt like forever, staring into her big emerald eyes as he absentmindedly traced the shape of her lower lip, his fingers looking so dirty compared to her porcelain skin.

"Thank you." Rapunzel finally spoke, breaking the silence.

"It's…it's nothing." He stuttered, his nerves coming through.

She couldn't help but stare at him, again, her own reflection bouncing back from his sunglasses. Oh how she wanted to take those glasses off. To look into the eyes of the man who had been nothing but kind to her the whole time. To look into the eyes of the man who made her stomach jump every time he was near. The man, who oddly enough, she wanted to call a 'friend'.

"Is it your first or last name?" She asked timidly, breaking both of them out of their daze.

"Is what my first or last name?" Flynn asked, a lump rising in his throat.

"Rider?"

Scott…He had called him 'Rider' in her presence. How could he have forgotten that?

"…It's…my last name." He finally spoke "And it was something that you weren't supposed to find out."

"Well…I promise I won't tell." She said with a small smirk, one arm still draped around his neck as they sat on the old dusty floor "Can I ask something else of you…"

"Sure." Flynn replied, smirking at her formality.

"…Can…can you take off your glasses?"

Flynn didn't know why, but for some reason he felt inclined to take them off. He knew that he shouldn't do it, but he also knew that he shouldn't have the girl sitting in his lap while he hugged her. But for some reason he couldn't seem to move her...For some reason he didn't want to. Reaching up he was about to take off the sunglasses, Rapunzel soon stopping him as she placed her small hand on top of his.

"Wait." She said "I want to do it."

Without argument, Flynn lowered his hand and watched as Rapunzel slowly reached out towards them. She seemed to be of two minds whether she was actually going to remove them or not, but pretty soon the dark tint that covered his vision was gone and for the first time since exchanging glances at the bar, their eyes met.

She remained silent, never looking away as she held the glasses in her hands. His eyes were amazing. Brown…Hazel to be exact, and filled with more compassion and concern than she had ever seen in her life. Compassion and concern for her. He wasn't putting on an act with her...He truly meant every word he said.

Although the bandanna still covered most of his face, Rapunzel didn't care. His eyes were enough, and all she could muster up was one simple little word.

"...Wow."

….

A/N: Soooo…what did you think? I hope you enjoyed it. I had fun writing it. Please review. They are such an encouragement. Thank you :-)


	5. Pure

Chapter Five

Wow. That's all she managed to say…Wow. The minute that Rapunzel took off the dark shields from his eyes, she knew that she recognized him. Had they met before? Was that why he was being so nice to her? Because she had laid eyes on him without his disguise? Because she had seen him? Dropping the sunglasses onto the floor, Rapunzel never shifted off of his lap. All she did was continue to stare into his emotion filled eyes. Opening her mouth, Rapunzel went to speak, but closed it again when nothing came out. But who was he? She had to know.

Flynn watched as she slowly began to reach up for the bandanna that concealed the rest of his identity, but just before she managed to pull it down, he quickly stood up, Rapunzel falling onto the floor with a soft thud as he backed away quickly. Confused she looked up at him, only to find him sliding the glasses back onto his face, not daring to meet her gaze. He seemed panicked, looking anywhere but her. Sitting up, Rapunzel gave him an apologetic look.

"I'm sorry…" She exclaimed "I didn't mean to push…you just look so…familiar."

But Flynn still didn't look at her. He couldn't look at her, because he knew if he did then he would cave and take her home there and then.

"I…I'm going to head downstairs." He began, quickly heading for the door "I'll be back up later with some food and water."

"No!" She cried, climbing to her feet and running towards the door "Wait!"

Reaching the door before him, Rapunzel pressed her back up against it, blocking it as she clutched the door knob behind her. She couldn't let him leave. Not without answering some questions. Flynn, a little surprised, took another step back. Why was she having this effect on him!? Turning round so he wasn't looking at her, Flynn sighed. Why had he let her take his glasses off!? How could he have been so stupid!? Scott would have his head for this if he ever found out.

Reluctantly turning back round, Flynn made his way for the door once more, but still Rapunzel didn't budge. She just stood there, the sun illuminating her golden hair. They stood mere inches apart, Flynn trying to reach around her to grab the door knob. She stared up at him, her eyes never leaving the dark shades. She was tiny compared to him.

"Please move…" He said in a whisper, his voice raspy.

"I know you…" She replied, desperately trying to catch a glimpse of his eyes once again "I've seen you before…Where have I seen you!?"

"Rapunzel…" He said a little more sternly "I need to go. Look this was a mistake!"

The last thing he needed or wanted was to fight with her. To lose that trusting bond that she was beginning to build up with him.

"…Please." She begged quietly, her voice small as her eyes once again became glassy "Please just answer me."

"I-I can't." Flynn replied, his own voice sounding as if it were about to betray him by cracking "Now if you don't move then I'm going to have to tie you up again and I don't want to do that…so please, Rapunzel…for both our sakes, please move."

Reluctantly, Rapunzel moved away from the door. She tucked some hair behind her ear and crossed her arms over her chest. Turning to look at her once more, Flynn gave a small sigh.

"I'm sorry." He said before heading out the room, locking the door behind him.

When he was gone, Rapunzel slumped against the door, sliding down it until she was sitting on the cold wooden floor. Bringing her knees up to her chest, she rested her arms on them. She knew that she recognized his eyes. But where she had seen them she couldn't remember. Sighing, she lent her head against the door.

"Where do I know you from?" She said to herself quietly.  
…

When outside the room, Flynn closed his eyes and leaned against the door, copying Rapunzel's action in sliding down it. Taking a seat on the top step he sighed and took off his disguise. Why had he let it get that far? He should have known better than that. This was a lot harder than he thought it would be. How did he end up with her on his lap? Her arms wrapped around him and his round her? He wasn't supposed to be comforting her. Not like that anyway.

"Pull it together, Rider." He said through gritted teeth, running his hand through his hair, tugging on it slightly "Get your fucking act together."

Getting up, Flynn headed downstairs, trying and failing to banish all thoughts of the vivacious blonde from his mind. When holding her, he had a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach. A feeling he had never experienced before with any woman. He had felt...happiness. Her closeness…her touch, they had sent his body into a frenzy. The hairs on the back of his neck standing upright.

Walking into the living area, Flynn found the Stabbington Brother's finishing converting the recording to disc, Scott shooting him a look of hatred as Mike put the DVD into a case.

"What the fuck is wrong with you, man!?" Scott bellowed, walking towards him "You letting her get to you!? Letting her get into your fucking mind!?"

"You shouldn't have been touching her like that!" Flynn shouted back "We agreed on that!"

"No!" Scott said, Mike coming to stand next to him "You agreed to it…Why do you care so much about the little bitch anyway!? Look what she did to my face!?"

Scott pointed to his bloody nose, his eyes turning a sickening shade of purple. Flynn couldn't help but feel a burst of pride for Rapunzel. She certainly knew how to hold her own. To cause that much damage to someone's face there had to be a lot of power behind that kick.

"Well, think about it Scott." Flynn began "You touch her, hurt her, have sex with her…all these things will come back to bite you on the ass. It's not as if the cops won't find out! And I'm not adding rape onto my list! Kidnapping is enough, and now thanks to the little 'stunt' that you pulled upstairs we've got assault with a deadly weapon!"

The two brothers were silent as Flynn finished his rant.

"I just wanted to scare her a little." Scott finally said his voice gruff with anger.

"Yeah, well it worked didn't it!?" Flynn spat, collapsing onto the sofa and lighting a cigarette "Is the DVD ready?"

"Yeah." Mike said, waving it front of him.

"Good." He sighed "You guys remember the plan?"

"Phone and trash can." Scott mumbled, rolling his eyes "We got it." He said, heading for the door with his brother "But don't expect us back tonight Rider. Like you said, we need to keep up the appearance of normal everyday life. I'm going out."

"Well I hope you two have fun." Flynn replied, sarcasm dripping from his voice "I'm sure you two will be capable of that while I go and visit Eugene."

At the sound of Eugene's name, they all went quiet. Even Scott who was beginning to lose sight of what they were meant to be doing. Saving his life. Giving a small grunt Scott left the house, Mike following close behind. The whole house shook as they slammed the door shut, and then there was silence.

"Just don't get caught." Flynn whispered, taking a drag from his cigarette.  
…

The hour drive from Dickerson to DC was one that Flynn had never been able to appreciate in all its glory before, but knowing that Rapunzel was safe from his two 'friends' till tomorrow helped him relax a little and enjoy the peacefulness. The sun danced behind the trees, the fields golden as he headed on route to the hospital. How could the world go on spinning when Eugene was lying there, wasting away? How could it still look so beautiful? Winding down the window a little, Flynn turned on the radio.

These bruises make for better conversation, loses the vibe that separates…

Nothing like a little Train to pass the time.  
…

It wasn't too long before Flynn came to a stop outside the hospital, the once shining sun disappearing behind the greying clouds. It had been a while since he had managed to visit Eugene, the 'money making' plans taking up most of his time, but he knew he couldn't hide forever. Eugene was in there dying, and it scared him. Every step he took through the hospital felt like a thousand, but eventually he found himself standing outside his brother's room, gazing through the little glass window on the door as he slept. There he lay, hooked up to all sorts of machines. There seemed to be more wires coming out of him than there was a Christmas tree. Taking a deep breath, Flynn opened the door and stepped in, the only sound coming from the various machines around him and the small TV in the corner. The News once again updating the public on the Princess's disappearance, although now the headlines read 'Abduction'. Looked like the Stabbington's had managed it after all.

Nervously, Flynn made his way over to the side of the bed, taking a seat in one of the uncomfortable pink chairs. He could feel the tears burn the back of his eyes at the sight of his little brother. He looked worse now than he had the day he found him bleeding all over their kitchen floor. Unable to control them any longer, Flynn's tears fell, a strangled sob escaping from his throat as he covered his face with his hands.

"You better not be crying over me you big wuss." Came the soft slurred voice of his brother, causing Flynn to snap up.

"Eugene." He smiled a little, wiping away his tears quickly "Of course not…" He said "I was crying at the thought of you getting a sponge bath from that lovely little nurse out there and me missing out."

"Sure you were." Eugene joked, pressing the button on his bed until he was moved into a sitting position.

"I'm sorry I've not been for a while." Flynn said softly "I've been trying to get some money together."

And I've been terrified of coming to see you.

"Flynn…" Eugene began through deep breathes, tiredness evident in his voice "Don't…You and I both know that you'll never get this money on time…and I'm ok with that…I can cope, and believe me, you will too. Don't go beating yourself up over this."

"Eugene…" Flynn began "Shut the fuck up." Eugene smiled a little at his brother's potty mouth "I'm going to get the money together really really soon. Trust me. You just sit back and relax. You'll be better again. Ok? I promise."

"Just…" He began "Don't you go and do something stupid now. I love you too much to see you in jail again."

"I'm not touching drugs." Flynn said bluntly "I'm not using. Or selling either."

Giving a small smile and a little nod, Eugene slowly turned his head towards the TV, images of Rapunzel gracing the screens once again as the reporter delivered the news that an anonymous tip off had confirmed that she had been abducted.

"That's insane." He finally slurred out "I mean who would be stupid enough to kidnap a Princess and think they could get away with it?"

"I know…" Flynn said in agreement praying that his voice didn't give anything away "Couple of fucking idiots probably."

Or just someone who was truly desperate…  
…

The 'goodbye' had been hard, the promise to visit again soon had been even harder, but soon Flynn found himself back parking in front of the rundown house, the sun just beginning to set in the distance. He had been a little longer than intended, and he knew by now that Rapunzel would most likely need something to eat and drink.

He didn't waste too much time before preparing her a warm meal, carrying it up the stairs alongside a tall glass of water. Starving the girl to death was definitely not part of his plan. Setting the tray on the ground, Flynn unlocked the door before nudging it open with his foot to reveal the petite girl sitting on the bed looking out the window. She had been crying again, he could tell, not that he could blame her though. Picking up her food he closed the door behind him, carrying it over to the bed beside her.

"Hey…" He said softly, causing her to look up at him with a little scowl as he sat the plate beside her "You ok?"

"What do you think!?" She cried, running her hands through her hair "Of course I'm not ok! No one is telling me anything! Not even the reason that I'm here! Why am I here!? And I swear if you say 'you'll be fine' one more time, I'll scream!"

Closing his eyes, Flynn took a seat on the other side of her. He looked over at her, surprised that she had moved a little closer to him, her anger quickly fading into sadness.

"I'm sorry…" She sighed "I didn't mean to snap at you. You're the only one who actually seems to care about me. I'm just feeling…frustrated. I want to know what's going on. Even if it's only partly."

"Don't be sorry." Flynn said softly, a hint of a chuckle in his voice "I understand."

He didn't know whether it was stupid or not, but at that moment he didn't really care either, because the next thing he knew he was reaching up for his glasses and setting them down between them on the bed. Looking over at Rapunzel he was glad to see that she was now sporting a small smile, a hint of a blush creeping up her cheeks.

"I like you better without them." She said softly as she picked up the plate of food, quickly digging in.

"Thanks." He said with a small smile.

He could feel the question bubbling away in the back of his mind, reluctant to ask it, but he knew deep down that if he was in her position he would probably want to have the same question asked to him.

"Do…do you want to talk?" He finally asked, causing Rapunzel to look at him like he had just sprouted another head.

"Are you serious?" She asked in confusion, a hint of laughter in her voice as she continued to eat "What about?"

"Anything." Flynn said "Might get your mind off of things and help you 'vent' a little."

Smiling, Rapunzel quickly finished off her meal before tucking her legs up under her body to get comfy. Flynn couldn't help but laugh a little at her eagerness.

"Ok…" She began, obviously excited at the chance to socialize "How about I ask you some questions and you can ask me some."

"Ok, deal." Flynn smirked, the bandana hiding his smile "But I'm not promising that I'll be able to answer everything."

Rapunzel nodded and tucked some hair behind her ear. She didn't care if he could answer them all. All she cared about was the fact that he was being a friend towards her.

"Ok…" She began "I'll start with an easy one then…what age are you?"

"I'm 26." Flynn said with a chuckle.

"Really!" Rapunzel exclaimed "I thought you were only a couple of years older than me."

"You say that like I'm ancient." He laughed, causing her to giggle a little.

"I don't mean it like that." She smiled, another small giggle escaping her lips.

He loved her laugh. It was contagious.

"Ok…" She finally said "Your turn."

Flynn sat forward a bit and looked up, obviously thinking, but soon he looked back at the beautiful Blonde. Rapunzel could tell that he was smirking by the way his eyes went. She liked the fact that he had taken his glasses off to talk to her. Made her feel like he actually wanted to socialize, and was not being forced into it. He seemed rather comfy too, making her feel like she was just sitting at home in her room talking to a friend.

"What's it like..." Flynn began, bringing Rapunzel out of her thoughts "To be royalty?"

Rapunzel gave a sad smile, looked down at her hands which lay in her lap before looking back into his brown eyes.

"It isn't actually as great as it looks." She answered "I mean, the whole 'never having to worry about money' thing is great, but My Dad is very over protective. Being the daughter of a King definitely has its downfalls."

"How over protective is he?" Flynn asked, truly interested in the conversation.

"Well let's see shall we..." Rapunzel began with a smirk, sitting up straight "Ever since I was a kid I can always remember having someone follow me, even if it was to go a simple walk in the Palace gardens...When he was visiting DC to meet with the President though, I managed to convince him to let me stay in the country a little while by myself. I wanted to go to university. He wasn't thrilled about the idea, but he eventually relented."

"How did you manage that?" Flynn asked with genuine curiosity.

"Easy." She smiled "I simply said 'But Dad, it's not fair! Prince William got to go to university and he was fine!'. Worked a charm."

Chuckling a little, Flynn ushered her to carry on.

"He, I wouldn't say chooses my friends for me…" She continued "But he does have a lot of insight into who would be best for me to socialize with. He just doesn't want me to be used…Most of my friends are kinda superficial airheads. Except Anna and Merida! We've been best friends since we were little."

"Well that's good." Flynn began, sitting back a little on the bed "It's good to have friends that you can trust."

I wish I knew what that was like.

"Yeah, they're great." She smiled "My Dad likes them too…But do you want to hear the big one?" She asked, quickly getting back to her story "I am 18 years old, and I've never had a boyfriend."

"Seriously!?" Flynn said in shock.

"Yeah, I know." Rapunzel said with a nod.

"You've really never had a boyfriend?" He asked.

Rapunzel just shook her head, biting her bottom lip.

"Nope." She stated "I've never so much as had the chance to hold a guy's hand. My Dad makes sure that he is extremely careful when it comes to me socializing with the opposite sex. I think he's terrified that I end up getting pregnant or something out of wedlock and get a bad name for myself. As a Princess I should be a role model for the younger girls of the Kingdom…I don't mind though…I understand that he's just being a worried father. He gave me this purity ring when I was 12…" She began, holding out her hand to show Flynn the white gold un-blossomed rose ring "He asked me if I would like to wear it…I said yes. I like the idea of waiting until you fall in love with someone before taking a step like that. What better way of saying 'I love you'."

Flynn couldn't help but smile a little. If he had heard a speech like that come from anyone else he would have probably thought it was the cheesiest thing ever, but hearing it come from Rapunzel made it sound romantic. Pure. Her Dad wasn't a bad guy. He was a man whose only crime was caring too much for his daughter.

"Well, I've never really been in a serious relationship either." Flynn confessed, although there had been many girls in his life, none were important enough to keep around for any length of time.

"No?" Rapunzel asked, looking up from her ring "How come?"

"No reason." He said with a shrug of the shoulder "I've just never found a girl that I've..." She looked beautiful. Her piercing green eyes never leaving his as she listened to him intently "...that I've had a strong connection with before...I guess you just need to wait for the right person to show up, you know?"

Smiling, Rapunzel gave a small nod, that small blush creeping up her cheeks once again.

"Yeah…" She began "I guess you do."

…

A/N: Cheesy or what lol. Hope you enjoyed this chapter guys. Please review and tell me what you think :-)


	6. Extraordinary

Chapter Six

There was nothing in this world that pissed Detective Max Guard off more than a smart-ass, and unfortunately for him it sounded like that was exactly what he was dealing with. The call had been short and sweet, the voice muffled slightly by the sound of traffic in the background. Most likely taking place in a public pay phone. Tracing down the phone that the call had been made from would be child's play, but eliminating every print bar the kidnappers would be near impossible. The son-of-a-bitch got lucky...this time.

Like the voice had told him, they found the DVD in a burned out green trash can about 40 minutes walk from the Princess' apartment and half an hour from the traced pay phone outside a rundown pizzeria. Clever, but it would only be a matter of time before they slipped up.

The DVD had been rather difficult to watch. The look of fear on the young girls face as the gun was pulled out on her had been nothing short of heart wrenching. But at least she was alive.

It was around 8pm as Max sat watching the DVD for what seemed like the hundredth time. The King and Queen had been adamant that they wanted to see it, something that Max hadn't advised, but to see their little girl breathing was probably the comfort that they needed to help them sleep that night. It didn't mean that it had been easy though. Pausing the disc, Max sat back in his chair and ran a hand down his long face. There had to be something that would help him!

"Hey, Boss..." Called Conrad, the newest member of his team "We're all calling in some Chinese food. Wanting anything?"

"Huh?" Max replied, turning to look at the young man "Uh, no...no, I'm OK thanks."

"OK..." Conrad nodded "Hey, why don't you take a break from that. You've done nothing but watch it all night. Give your mind a rest."

"I will." Max assured with a small smile "I just feel like I'm missing something...That there's something staring me right in the face and I can't see it."

"Well just holler if you need a fresh pair of eyes." The rookie said with a smile before heading out the room.

Sighing, Max played the video once again, the fear in the Princess's eyes getting him every time.

"C'mon..." He mumbled to himself "Show me what it is..."  
…...

Rapunzel's laughter, in Flynn's opinion, was one of the most beautiful sounds there ever was. A night which would probably have been spent like so many others; in despair and misery, had been brought to life. Brought to life by her, and her laughter. Every time she threw her head back in a fit of giggles, Flynn's heart leapt. He could do nothing but smile as her body shook with happiness, tears of joy streaming down her cheeks. They had been sitting there for hours both on the bed with their backs pressed up against the wall sharing stories about their lives, and if Flynn was totally honest with himself, it was turning out to be one of the best nights in his.

"I can't breathe..." Rapunzel choked out between fits, her laughter becoming inaudible "You're a funny guy."

She obviously hadn't had a lot of male company if she thought that he was a funny guy.

"Well, I try." He chuckled softly "Hey, you wanting to head downstairs? Watch a little TV?"

"Are your friends due back any time soon?" She asked, her arms instinctively wrapping round her body at the thought of the two.

The way that he had touched her had sent shivers down her spine. She couldn't bear to imagine the look in his eyes. Filled with desire and lust. The very thought made her sick to her stomach.

"No." Flynn replied, noticing her discomfort "They're staying the night in the city."

He watched as the flash of fear that appeared in her eyes faded away, her happiness soon returning as she gave a small smile. Without answering she jumped from the bed, quickly grabbing Flynn by the hand and pulled him up towards the door. He couldn't help but find her excitement a little amusing as she stood waiting at the door for him to lead the way.

"Remember..." Flynn said as he took her small hand in his and led her down the dark stairwell "This is our little secret. Those two find out you're down here there'll be hell to pay."

"Of course." She nodded, her smile growing at the thought of getting out the dingy attic "But I hope you know, Mr. Rider, that I will be quizzing you some more downstairs."

He chuckled once more at her playfulness.

"Of course Your Highness." He replied, playing along "Just as long as you are aware, I still may not be able to answer all your inquisitive questions."

She giggled once again as Flynn carried on leading her through the house towards the living room.

The living room, in Rapunzel's opinion, was probably one of the worst rooms in the house. Like many of the other rooms it was scarcely furnished with only a coffee table, a battered brown couch, a large empty cabinet and an old portable TV that sat on some boxes filling it. The walls were stained that same sickly nicotine yellow, a large painting of a forest gracing one wall a little lopsided. But the worst aspect had to be the suffocating smell of smoke that caught in her chest as she entered the room, something that she struggled to hide as she began to cough.

"Sorry..." Flynn said a little sheepishly as he opened a window "Bad habit."

"Yours?" She asked with a raised eyebrow, a hint of a smile tugging at her lips.

"Guilty." He replied, motioning for her to have a seat "Don't worry. I won't light up in front of you."

Smiling at his chivalry Rapunzel fell onto the lumpy couch, stretching her legs out before bringing them up under her body once again. She watched as Flynn took a seat next to her, switching on the TV before turning slightly to face her. The butterflies in her stomach were going wild as he stared at her. His hazel eyes full of curiosity and wonder. How she loved those eyes. They burned deep into her. The only eyes that had gotten to see the real her in a very long time.

"So..." Rapunzel began, scooting a little closer to him "You know about my family, you know about my friends...lets find out a little more about you. Where did you grow up?"

Where did he grow up? That was a question he probably could answer. So far all he had really shared about was fun times through high school and memorable times with his brother. Even if he wasn't her kidnapper, delving into his back story was something that he would probably think twice about doing.

"Where did I grow up?" Flynn replied back with a smile "I was born and bred in DC. Been there all my days."

"Was it fun?" She asked, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"It..." Flynn began, struggling to find the right words "It was...challenging, let's say...Things at home were rarely good and I was a bit of a 'well known troublemaker', cops words not mine." She couldn't help but giggle a little once again, Flynn's heart doing that same little jump "But I guess for the most part it was a fun enough place to grow up."

"What type of trouble did you get into as a kid?" She asked, bringing her legs out from under her body and pulling them into her chest "Anything serious?"

"Ah, just kid stuff really." Flynn said, sitting forward a little "Stealing, drinking, vandalism. Thought I was a tough guy. I was in more fights than I care to remember."

"What about as you got older?" She continued.

"I'm scared to tell you." He said with a nervous laugh, struggling to look her in the eye "Let's just say I did a lot of things I'm not proud of."

"Well..." Rapunzel began with a soft smile, leaning forward a little to meet Flynn's eyes "We can all do things that we're not proud of. Doesn't change who we are as a person, and...I kinda like you. So I doubt that anything you say will make me think any less of you."

"...Rapunzel...You do realize that I just snatched you off the street." Flynn chuckled, bringing another soft giggle from her lips "You're not actually supposed to like me."

"What can I say!?" She smirked "I've always been a little unconventional."

He couldn't help but laugh a little. She truly was turning out to be one of the most extraordinary people he had ever met, and with that he knew he was able to share.

"Ok..." Flynn said with a deep sigh as he began to dig through his well buried memories "...I guess it was kind of inevitable the route I was going to go down. Life at home had been kinda tough. My Dad had always been a bit of a bully, and I guess my Mom just couldn't take it anymore...After she left he hit the drink quite bad, pretty soon finding that knocking the living hell out of my brother and I was his new favourite past time." Rapunzel gasped, her hand flying to her mouth "...I must have been around 15 when...when I started 'experimenting'. Trying to block out the pain. Nothing really heavy to start with...a bit of Pot, then a little Speed...then a lot of everything...By the time I was 20 I found myself sticking my thumb in my mouth and blowing until the vein in my neck was visible enough..." She was silent, staring at him with sad eyes. Flynn couldn't help but feel shame and embarrassment "That's when I knew I had a big problem. I would have stolen your last dollar if I knew it would help me get a fix."

"How..." She began with glassy eyes, her voice cracking "How did you get clean?"

"With a lot of difficulty." He replied, the sadness evident in his own voice "If it wasn't for Eugene, my brother, then I don't know where I would have been today...Probably rotting in a grave somewhere...I owe it all to him and the Big Chief In The Sky...I was quickly dying, and he never gave up on me..."

"You sound close." Rapunzel said with a soft smile, a silent tear running down her cheek "Where is he now?"

Dying...

"He's...He's..." Flynn could feel his own tears burn the back of his eyes.

He wasn't about to cry in front of a princess...He couldn't...but unfortunately he didn't have much of a say in that, and pretty soon found his tears were falling. With her heart wrenching, Rapunzel leaned over and took hold of his hand, squeezing it gently as she waited for him to continue.

"He's sick..." Was all he could blurt out as he composed himself "Really sick..."

"What's wrong with him?" She asked, worry dancing in her emerald eyes "How sick?"

"He's...He's got a brain tumour." Flynn managed to reply, trying hard to keep his tears at bay "A tumour that my insurance 'won't cover', and if I don't get $250,000 dollars together for the operation soon then...He'll be dead..."

Realization hit Rapunzel as she watched Flynn angrily wipe his tears from his eyes. She wasn't there because a couple of guys wanted to take advantage of her wealth. She was there because a desperate man wanted to save the only family he had left.

"So you though that by kidnapping me, you would be able to get the money in time to save him." She said softly, Flynn unable to look her in the eye.

"...Yeah..." He finally whispered, looking down at his lap "I just wanted to save him...He's my best friend."

He felt awful, expecting Rapunzel to yell at him, wish his brother dead and tell him that he would never see the money, but he was wrong. Instead, he felt her squeeze his hand even more. Looking back up at her he was surprised to see her giving him a sad looking smile, some more tears running down her cheeks.

"Thank you for sharing with me..." She finally said "I know it must have been hard."

"Thanks for listening..." He said with a small smirk "And...for not judging."

"Never, Rider." She replied, smiling a little "...I promise you, you'll get the money. Ok? I'll make sure of it."

"What?" Flynn said in confusion "Are you serious?"

"Yeah." She nodded "I won't let you lose him."

"Rapunzel...Thank you! "To the Princess's surprise, Flynn pulled her in for a hug, wrapping his arms round her waist and pulling her in tight. She couldn't help but smile, wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging him back "Thank you..."

"No problem, Rider." She laughed softly.

Pulling back slightly, Flynn couldn't help but look into Rapunzel's eyes. Again he was caught off guard at how beautiful she was and ever so slowly, he reached up and brushed some stray strands of hair out of her eyes, tucking them gently behind her ear. A little alarmed at his boldness, Flynn quickly drew his hand away, a little embarrassed at what he had done.

"I'm sorry..." He said with a nervous chuckle.

"It's Ok, Rider..." She smiled "...I don't mind."

"...Call me Flynn..."  
...

Who did he think he was? Telling him what to do. If Flynn said 'Jump!' was he supposed to say 'How high!?'. Not on his fucking life was he about to bow down to him.

Downing the last of his beer Scott slammed the empty bottle onto the bar, nodding for the tender to push another one in his direction. To say that he was pissed was an understatement. Nobody dare tell him what to do, let alone what not to do. As far as Scott was concerned, Flynn was in serious danger of getting his ass kicked.

"I'm gonna kill that Rider." He spat to his brother before taking a swing from his new bottle "I'm gonna kill him! Him and that little bitch of his."

All Mike did was nod before taking a chug from his own drink.

"We need to watch him, Mikey..." He said keeping his voice low "The minute he gets that money he'll roll over on us. Keep every penny for himself. Doubt he even gives two fucks if his brother dies or not...Well, not if I have my way he won't. If I have my way, I'll make sure he doesn't see a penny of it. Even if it costs me a bullet or two..."  
...

A/N: I know, kinda short, but I hope you all liked it. I've ran out of pre-written chapters, so I'm having to write every chapter as I go now, but I know where it's gonna go :-)

Reviews make me giddy, so please leave one and tell me what you all think. Thank you :-)


	7. Beautiful

Chapter Seven

He didn't know if it had been wise, not that he was really caring if he was totally honest, but the moment that 'Call me Flynn' had escaped from his lips he knew that there was no going back. She hadn't said anything at first. Just stared at him as if she were hearing things. But soon enough that small beautiful smile that he loved so much began to creep across her face, and when that happened he knew it had been worth it. Anything to see her smile.

"Flynn..." Her soft voice rang out "Flynn Rider...I like it."

He couldn't help but smile a little himself; not that she could see it anyway.

"Well, it's very nice to finally be able to have a proper introduction..." She began before holding her hand out towards him "Nice to meet you, Flynn."

Chuckling a little, Flynn took hold of her hand, shaking it slightly as her smile grew.

"Thank you." He replied through his smile, holding onto her hand just a second longer. "It's nice to meet you too, Rapunzel."

The city seemed so small from where she was standing. Like another world almost. Down there everything was perfect. Peaceful. She could barely remember what that felt like. She couldn't help but feel an element of anger as she watched the people move about without a care in the world. How could they be so alive when her world was in the process of falling apart.

Sighing, Corrine covered her eyes, praying that the tears that had long since dried up wouldn't fall again. The image of her daughter with a gun pressed to her head was something that she didn't think that she would ever be able to forget. Coming to stand next to his wife, Fergus put his arm around her, joining her at gazing out onto the city. If this were Corona the whole kingdom would be out hunting for his daughter, and the men who did this.

"She's alive, my Love." Fergus said softly "Just remember, she's alive."

"For how long?" Corrine asked, turning to her husband with glassy eyes "A day? A week? Fergus, whoever has her is dangerous. I can't just sit back and pretend that everything is fine because I saw her breathing on a video tape!" Sighing, Fergus took hold of her small hands "I just...I just want my baby back."

"We'll get her..." He said, pulling her in for a hug before placing a small kiss on top of her head "We'll get her, my Love."  
…

It was around 3am when Flynn woke up to the sound of the TV buzzing. The film that the two had been watching, or trying to at least, had long finished, snow covering the screen. Lazily grabbing the remote, he flicked the TV off before giving a stretch and turning to face the sleeping beauty next to him. Even when she slept she looked perfect, gently resting her head against his shoulder. He couldn't help but smile. Was there any point now in trying to pretend that the thought of being near her didn't excite him? Didn't enthral him?

Not wanting to wake her Flynn slowly turned, cupping the back of her head as he lowered her down onto the couch. She didn't even bat an eyelid as he moved her. Just sighed a little. Smiling again he reached up and pulled down the old crochet blanket that draped over the back of the sofa before wrapping it round her. She was too peaceful to wake and take back to that hell hole upstairs. No. She would sleep there, and he would sleep on the floor next to her. In the morning he would wake her up, cook her breakfast and then he would take her back upstairs, where, if he had his way, he would spend the whole day talking to her again.

"Goodnight, Princess..." He whispered before lying on the hard floor next to her, sleep quickly over taking him.

Thankfully he managed to get a few more hours than the night before. There had been a little bit of tossing and turning, images of the blonde haired beauty invading his dreams. He had dreamed that she was dancing. Dancing with a masked man dressed in black. Their steps fluent. Passionate. But with every step they took, with every spin and twirl the blackness fell away. The mask bit by bit, breaking off, until all that was left was them. Him. Holding her close. Their foreheads resting together. He had almost cried when he woke up.

"Careful, Rider..." He whispered to himself before looking up at the sleeping girl, her beauty catching him every time "...Careful..."

…

It had been useless. 9 hours of watching the damn tape over and over again, and for what! Nothing. No new leads. No hidden messages. Nothing! The thought of these assholes beating him made his blood boil. Whatever it was that they were wanting, he was not willing to hand over easily. They were bound to slip up sooner or later.

Sighing, Max lay back on his bed. He hadn't wanted to go home. That decision had been made for him. Something about him 'not being able to focus'. What everyone was forgetting though was that they were running out of time. Another couple of hours and Rapunzel could be dead. They were already on day three. Chances of getting her back alive were growing more and more dim. But with nothing to go on, all he could do was wait. Wait for them. Waiting had never done him any good in the past...It's what had killed her. And he would be damned if it was going to happen again.

…

It had just gone 8:30 when Rapunzel woke up, Flynn to her surprise, nowhere in sight. Did the guy ever sleep? Stretching, she sat up. The room looked different in the daylight. Less yellow and more grey. Grabbing the remote, Rapunzel switched on the TV and was immediately greeted by a rerun of her parent's appeal for her safe return. Their pained expression brought tears to her eyes.

"Oh, Daddy..." She sighed "I'm coming home soon..."

She continued to sit and watch the news for a little while until Flynn walked in carrying a tray. The smell of bacon causing her stomach to do somersaults.

"Hey..." He began, the smile evident in his voice "I didn't know you were up. Sleep well?"

"Morning, Flynn." She replied with a small smile, her heart lurching at his presence "Yeah, I slept like a baby."

Taking a seat next to her, Flynn placed the tray down on the scratched table, motioning for her to dig in. She didn't have to be told twice. Pulling the plate close to her, Rapunzel practically began to inhale her food.

"I swear..." She said between mouthfuls "I am never ever eating the palace food again. Ever! You've converted me."

Laughing, Flynn sat back on the couch, putting his feet up on the table in front. It wasn't long before she was finished her meal, making sure she scraped up every last bite before setting the cutlery down neatly on the plate.

"Tidies like a princess, eats like a pig." Flynn chuckled, Rapunzel playfully swatting at his arm "What!? I personally think it's a great combination."

Sticking her tongue out at him, Rapunzel sat back in the chair. It was silent for a while. A peaceful silence. Neither wanting to break it any time soon. Enjoying each other's company was becoming their new favourite past time. But it couldn't last. No matter how much they tried to pretend that it could. And that killed him. Why did the first girl to truly understand him, to truly get him, have to be the one girl that would forever be unattainable. He had poured his heart out to her last night, probably a little too much if he was perfectly honest, but not once had she ever judged him. A gift like that was hard to come across.

"I..." He finally began, the mood shifting "I'm going to phone about the...about the ransom today. See if we can arrange a drop off time."

"...Oh..." She replied, a hint of a smile being forced "...Ok..."

He was silent again, struggling to maintain eye contact. In honesty, he wanted nothing more than to pull her in close to him. Rip off his make shift mask and hold her tight. Just like he had in his dream.

"Hopefully we'll have you safely home by tomorrow night." He spoke softly.

"Yeah." She nodded "I'll be home, Eugene will get his operation and we..."

She couldn't help but look at him, his hazel eyes conveying as much pain as she felt.

"And we..." He continued "We'll part ways as unlikely friends."

"Yeah..." She said again, a sad smile tugging at her lips.

Looking down at her lap, Rapunzel began to play with a loose thread at the hem of her oversized sweater. The thought of never seeing the dreary house ever again brought her nothing but joy...but the thought of never seeing Flynn ever again...it brought her nothing but a horrible feeling in her chest. One that she had never had before. In all her life she had never met anyone that she had had such a connection with, and as strange as it sounded she felt like he knew her better than anyone else. He knew her as Rapunzel, not as The Princess...and she knew him as Flynn. Not Rider. Not the Troublemaker...but Flynn.

"You know..." He began, a hint of a chuckle to his voice as he scratched the back of his neck "...think I'm going to miss the fact that I can have an intellectual conversation with a girl. Before you I didn't think that that was possible."

She couldn't help but giggle a little. She would miss that too.

"Yeah?" She said in reply "Well, I think I'm going to miss you cooking me all this amazingly unhealthy food." He laughed "You know we're always looking for staff at the Palace. Maybe I'll hire you to be my own personal chef."

"Oh yeah." He agreed, playing along "Eggs and bacon...Lucky Charms...Cookie Dough ice cream, and that's only breakfast!"

"Sounds like the perfect plan." She smiled "Flynn and Rapunzel! Changing palace meals one clogged artery at a time!"

They both laughed, Rapunzel falling into his side a little, her closeness setting his body alight. Slowly their laughter began to die down until there was nothing but silence, Rapunzel looking up at Flynn as he looked down at her. In a matter of seconds the mood had shifted, Flynn helping Rapunzel sit up a little straighter as they continued to just stare at each other.

"You really are beautiful, Rapunzel." He said quietly, bringing his hand up to brush some of her golden hair behind her ear, his thumb gently caressing her soft cheek.

"...Why are you still hiding from me, Flynn?" She replied, her own hands now resting against his broad chest "...Take off the bandana..."

"I can't..." He all but whispered.

"Flynn...I said that I would make sure that you got the money...And once you've got it I'm not going to go back and turn you in" She said with pleading eyes "So please...Let me see you...Let me see the man behind the disguise..."

He didn't know what was going through his mind as she sat there staring up at him. He had known from the beginning that he was getting himself into an emotional roller coaster ride...he just wasn't expecting the feelings that he was having for the Princess would be part of that. It was wrong. Unnatural...but still, they were there.

"...What if you don't like the man you see?" He asked, her hands slowly making their way further up his chest "What if all you see is a greedy, evil man? A man that you don't want to help in the end."

"...I can't see what's not there, Flynn..." She said softly, her hands finally coming to a stop at the edge of his disguise.

He could feel her fingers brushing the edge of the bandana, her eyes never leaving his as she silently pleaded with him to take it off...How could he deny her? So with a deep sigh, he slowly let go of her and reached for the last semblance of mystery that he held.

He couldn't help but close his eyes as he pulled the small piece of fabric away from his mouth, looking down at her small hands. He was too frightened to look at her reaction, her silence saying enough. He shouldn't have done this. He shouldn't have let his guard down...But just as he was about to hide himself once again he felt her tiny hands on either side of his face, gently lifting him up to look at her.

"...I remember you..." She said quietly, Flynn opening his eyes to see a look of realization in hers "...You're the guy from the bar..."

"Yeah..." He whispered, her fingers gently dancing across his jaw "...You disappointed?"

But she didn't answer him. Instead she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him in for a tight hug, something that caught him a little off guard before he replied in wrapping his arms around her.

"I could never be disappointed, Flynn."

Pulling back slightly, Flynn looked down at her, their faces only inches apart.

"Rapunzel..." He quietly began "I..."

But just as he was about to speak, the sound of tires screeching to halt outside brought both of them back into reality.

"Shit!" Flynn cried, turning to see Scott's banged up truck outside the window "Quick! Run!"  
…

A/N: So...what'd ya think? Hope you all enjoyed this chapter guys. I know just now it seem that all these two are doing is talking, but things are now beginning to get shaken up.

Reviews are such an encouragement, so let me know what you thought. Thanks :-)


	8. Goodnight

Chapter Eight

With trembling knees, Flynn quickly pulled Rapunzel to her feet, the sound of car doors being slammed shut making his heart threaten to burst out his chest. They were home early, the look of fear dancing in Rapunzel's eyes reminding him just what his friends were turning into. He didn't even want to think what their reaction to the two of them embracing would be if they caught them. Never letting go of her hand, Flynn began to drag her up the stairs, Rapunzel frantically looking behind her to make sure that they hadn't walked in and seen them. She could only imagine the punishment that the two goons would take upon themselves to inflict. Not just to her, but to Flynn as well.

Running across the upstairs landing, Flynn continued to pull her up towards the small flight of stairs that led to the attic door, the sound of the front door slamming shut causing his thundering heart to stop. C'mon...Hurry, Rider. Hurry!

They finally came to a halt at the battered door, Flynn pulling the ring of keys from his back pocket as Rapunzel stood clutching her chest tightly, straining to hear the sound of the two monsters downstairs over her gasping breath.

"Fuck!" Flynn whispered, absently flicking through the many keys on the chain, dropping them to the floor before quickly picking them back up.

"Flynn!" Rapunzel gasped quietly, tugging at his hoody as the sound of heavy footsteps began to crash from down stairs "Flynn, hurry! They're coming!"

"I'm trying!" He replied before finally finding the key, quickly opening it only to have Rapunzel fly past into the dim room "I'll be back up later." He whispered, gasping for breath himself "OK? I promise."

And with a small nod, and one last longing glance he shut the door, locking it behind him before he silently began to make his way back down stairs. The thought of leaving her in there once again caused his heart to drop. Not only due to the fact that she was now locked away again, but also because she was no longer in his arms, her delicate fingers dancing across his jaw. Five seconds away from her and he was already craving her company.

Peering round the door, Flynn made sure that the upstairs landing was clear before heading down towards the clattering in the living room. He could feel the anger begin to boil the minute he saw Scott and Michael lazing on the couch, the TV blaring as they sat their feet on the table. They knew he was there, but all they did was stare at the TV, Mike taking a draw from his cigarette every so often.

"Have a productive evening?" Scott asked calmly, never taking his eyes off the TV as Flynn stepped further into the room.

Choosing to ignore him, Flynn walked over to the window. It was another beautiful day. The sun splitting the trees without a cloud in sight. He couldn't help but think about his brother lying in that hospital bed hooked up to goodness only knows what when a day like this was just waiting to be enjoyed. And then there was Rapunzel...the girl who was taking a piece of his heart one beautiful smile at a time. She of all people deserved to be out on a day like this. Basking in the sunlight. How could someone as unselfish as her want to help a lowly waste of space like him? And to make it worse, she would be gone soon. Then he'd never get to spend a day like this with her.

Sighing, Flynn turned round to see the two brother's staring at him. Anger and hate were dancing in their eyes, but he didn't care. The way he was feeling they could fire two bullets into him right now and he would probably thank them. Put an end to it for him there and then. But they were so close. He couldn't give up now.

"We'll make the call today" He mumbled, clearing his throat a little "Arrange a drop off for the ransom."

"Wow..." Scott scoffed with a slight smirk "And here was me thinking that you were forgetting why we were all here."

It took everything in Flynn not to punch him. Rapunzel had done enough damage to his face for the both of them though. The purple circles round Scott's beady eyes proving that.

"Just because I'm capable of compassion, Scott, does not mean I've forgotten why we're here." Flynn spat through gritted teeth, his fist tightening.

"Then you deserve a damn Oscar..." He mumbled, reaching into a plastic bag and tossing a disposable cell phone in Flynn's direction "Here...Thought you might be needing this."

Grabbing the phone mid air, Flynn stared the brother's down, their looks of hatred burning deep into him. The minute this was all over he was finished with them. Done. The thought of telling them that Rapunzel had offered her help in getting the money together was not going to be shared with them any time soon. Not until he was sure they had calmed down a little. The last thing he needed was being accused of fooling around with her.

"Just remember, Rider..." Scott snarled "She's the treasure...You're just the crap stuck to the bottom of her shoe."

And with that, they about turned and walked out the room leaving Flynn clutching the phone, his heart sinking deep into his chest.

"...Don't you think I already know that?" He whispered.

…

It was the sun that had awoken him from his slumber. The golden rays forcing their way in through the cracks between the blinds, and for a brief moment, he thought he was home. That everything was normal...Then he remembered.

Pressing the small button on the remote that sat at his side, Eugene's bed slowly began to move into a sitting position. Another day that would be spent staring at sterile walls and sleeping. He was doing a lot of that recently. Sleeping and staring. How he wished it would just end. That his misery would be over and he could be at peace. The guilt of Flynn putting his whole life on hold for him was something that gnawed away at him.

He had watched his brother fight for his life. Scramble and claw back everything that the drugs had ripped away from him. He had watched him rebuild life itself. He had lost everything, and through hard work and determination came out stronger. A conqueror...But now...now he was going to lose again.

Closing his eyes, Eugene could feel the tears burn the back of them.

"God..." He whispered horsely "I know it's been a while since I spoke to you, and I'm sorry..." the sound of machines beeping filled the silence as he fought for words ."..I just...I'm just asking...please make me better God...Please make me better."

...

It felt like hours had passed since the two brutes had arrived back to the hell hole, and much to Rapunzel's surprise there had been no signs of shouting, screaming or things getting thrown around. They were safe from the wrath of the other two...for now anyway. She had spent at least 20 minutes with her ear pressed up against the door, holding her breath as she prepared for a stampede into her room. But thankfully that never came.

Sighing Rapunzel fell back onto her bed and stared up at the ceiling. How could she not have recognized him? How could she not remember where she had seen those wonderful hazel eyes? They were the first thing that had caught her attention that night at the bar. The night where he had taken her. He had looked so lost. Defeated...and now she knew why. He had stuck out like a sore thumb compared to the rest of the crowed. Waiting. Waiting for her.

Sitting up, Rapunzel ran a hand through her long hair. Flynn had said that today would be the day that they would phone about the ransom. Come tomorrow night she would probably be home...But the thought of leaving and never seeing Flynn again was something that she didn't want to think about. She had promised him that she would help get the money. How, she didn't know yet.

It was the sound of a door slamming shut that snapped Rapunzel out of her day dreams. The whole house shook at the impact, and she knew with such force that it was the other two that were behind it. Getting up from the bed she made her way over to the dirty window, rubbing one of the pane's with the sleeve of her oversized sweater before peering out. She couldn't see much, the dirt clouding most of her vision. All she could make out was the two men walking away from the house. At least they didn't stay long. It was only a matter of minutes before Flynn walked in through the door, a small smile spreading across her face.

"You're ok..." She sighed, flinging her arms around him and pulling him in for a hug.

"Yeah, I'm ok." He said through a smirk, his grip on her tightening "They're still pissed though."

"Where are they going?" Rapunzel asked, looking over her shoulder and out the window once again, the two only tiny specks in the distance now.

"Don't know..." Flynn sighed "They wanted to go for a walk...I don't have a good feeling about this."

"Do you think they're planning something?" She asked, her eyes wide as she absently ran her hands up his chest.

"I don't know..." He sighed again, glancing out the window before looking down at her "But I promise you. You'll be safe."

"I know..." She replied with a small smile, her hand coming to rest against his cheek "Just promise me you will be too, Flynn...Don't do anything stupid that will put you in danger."

"...I promise." He said with a forced smile "I promise..."

"Good..."

She smiled once again before closing her eyes and resting her cheek against his chest, the beating of his heart soothing her. She couldn't imagine wanting to be anywhere else at that moment. Just safe in his arms. She could no longer deny the connection that the two shared, and she knew that saying that she wasn't even remotely interested in him would be a lie.

"I wish..." She began hesitantly "I wish I had met you differently, Flynn. Out with all of this..."

"...Why?" He asked, almost frightened to hear the answer.

Pulling back, Rapunzel stared up at him with glassy eyes, her lip quivering slightly.

"Because then I wouldn't have to say 'Goodbye'..." She replied "...'Goodbye' means 'forever'..."

Swallowing back his own tears, Flynn tightened his grip on her once again before running a thumb down her cheek, his fingers stopping at the corner of her mouth.

"Then lets not say 'Goodbye'. Lets say 'Goodnight'..." He whispered "...'Goodnight' means 'I'll see you soon'..."

"Yeah..." She smiled, knowing that they were just postponing the inevitable "...Let's say 'Goodnight'."

Pulling her against his chest once again, Flynn closed his eyes before finding the nerve to place a soft kiss against her head, the smell of her hair making him dizzy.

"I'm going to go make the call to the cops." He mumbled into her hair as he firmly took hold of her small hand "Get this over with before those two get back. Ok?"

"Ok..." She answered, looking up at him as he reluctantly began to move away, his fingers interlocked with hers.

"Goodnight." He whispered, gently letting go of her hand.

"...Goodnight."  
...

The hours seemed to drag in for Detective Max Guard, sleep never fully overtaking him. He knew that sitting round the house all day would do nothing but drive him insane. He pretty soon found himself sitting back at his desk looking over the case study once again, his glasses perched on the end of his long nose. He couldn't help but pray and hope that he would finally get a lead. That it would spark something off in his mind.

"Boss..." Conrad spoke, breaking Max off from his thoughts "Are you sure it's wise that you be here? Don't you think you need a rest?"

"I've had one." Max replied, never looking up from the file in front of him "Resting isn't going to find this girl."

"Neither is you being too damn tired to focus properly." The rookie argued "I think you need to go home and stay there for more than 4 hours."

Looking up at the young man, Max took off his glasses and rose to his feet. He wasn't in any mood to argue, nor was he in any mood to take orders from a rookie. Crossing his arms over his chest, Max walked round from his desk until he was facing the younger detective, Conrad visibly nervous.

"How long you been here, Boy?" He asked calmly.

"6 months, Sir." He stuttered.

"6 months..." Max mimicked "I've been here 22 years...So do you really think that it's appropriate for you to be telling me what to do, Boy?"

Conrad was silent. He knew that his Boss was getting too attached to the case. Hell, most of the team could see it. But he didn't want to get on the wrong side of him. He knew from past experience that pissing off the wrong person at work could cause you a world of hell.

"I'm just concerned about you, Boss". He finally replied "A couple of us are."

"I'm fine!" Max snapped, putting his glasses back on.

Turning back towards his desk, Max went for his seat, but was stopped short when a frantic cry from one of the women on his team rang through the room.

"Max!" Elsa panted as she ran up to his desk "Phone call...Line 1..."

"Well, who is it?" Max asked, removing his glasses once again.

"The guy who's got the Princess."

Jackpot...  
...


	9. Rapunzel

Chapter Nine

They had trudged through the woodland for what felt like hours, neither speaking much until they knew that they were in the safety of their own company. They came to a stop at a small clearing by the edge of a field, Mike propping himself up on top of the old rickety wooden fence as Scott angrily paced in front of him, kicking some strewn leaves that lay at his feet.

The thought of Flynn Rider did nothing but make Scott's blood boil. They had been friends for over ten years, had seen each other through thick and thin. When Flynn had been arrested for being under the influence, he had been there in his corner supporting him the whole time. When his dad had kicked ten shades of shit out of him and Eugene for breathing the wrong way, it was him that had taken them to the emergency room. Now it was him, again, who was doing all the supporting. Doing all the running around. All the dirty work, while he left his brother to die in a hospital bed as he snuggled up next to the Princess! Flynn Rider was definitely not his favourite person right now.

"What you thinking?" Mike spoke, his voice rough and hoarse from his usual silence "You think we should 'take care' of him?"

"No." Scott murmured "We do that then we're stuck with her and the mess that he's made...No...We need to play it cool, for now."

"Then what to you suggest!?" Mike snapped, hopping down from the fence to face his brother "We just sit back and leave it? Watch him walk away with the money?"

"No..." Scott replied "No. He obviously has trust for us, right?" Mike nodding at his deluded comment "Well then, we don't break that trust. We'll cool it down. Maybe even 'apologize' for our attitudes. Let him think that he's the one in control."

"Ok..." Mike droned, crossing his arms over his broad chest "Then what?"

"We make our move." He smirked "Get the cash, kill Rider and make off with the girl before we've got the chance to hand her back."

"Ok...And what about Eugene?" Mike asked "What will happen to him?

"Forget about him." Scott shrugged "He's in the dark about what's happening anyway. As far as he's aware, he's a dead man."  
…

He was greeted by the cool air as he stepped out into the sunlight, the phone that Scott had brought him wedged tightly between his ear and his shoulder as he lit himself a cigarette. He could feel his heart drum heavily in his chest, his mouth going dry as he impatiently waited to be put on to the detective in charge.

He thought the young woman who had answered the phone was about to pass out when he had said that he was calling with information on Rapunzel. Flustered she had asked him to hold the line which brought him to where he was now, sitting on the porch steps waiting. He had almost finished his cigarette by the time he heard the rattling of the phone cord bumping against the receiver, the sound of coughing and whispering in the background not going unnoticed by him. He had an audience. Great.

Showtime...

"Hello..." Came a forced calm voice "This is Detective Maximus Guard, MPDC..."

He had no idea what he was going to say or how he was going to say it. The sound of the Detective's voice temporarily muting him. What was he meant to say? Hi? How are you? I have the Princess. Would you like her back in exchange for cash? No way.

"Hello?" Came the irritated voice of Max once again "Is anyone there..."

Just get it over with, Rider...

"...Hello" Flynn finally spoke, his voice that of a strangers as he hung his head low "I believe you've been looking for me..."

He could hear rustling around in the background, the Detective probably looking for a pen and paper.

"Yes, hello..." He had changed his voice, an element of kindness in it "I was expecting a call from you a bit sooner..."

"Yeah, well things have been a little hectic here." Flynn replied, tugging at his shaggy hair.

"I understand that..." Max spoke softly, his breath hitching slightly "This must be quite a stressful time for you..."

Flynn knew what he was doing. Playing the good, helpful cop who didn't want to cause him any harm or to feel threatened. He would make Flynn feel like he was just another victim that society had screwed over one too many times, that it was understandable why he had done what he did. He'd make out that he was the only 'friend' that he could trust.

"Look..." Flynn cut in, unwilling to fall into the trap "Let's skip all the bullshit pleasantries, OK? You know I know what it is that you're really digging for, so I'll just flat out and tell you. Yes, she's alive. Yes she's safe."

Max went silent on the phone before clearing his throat a little. He knew the boy meant business.

"Ok..." He finally spoke "We'll get straight to the point then...what is it you're wanting? Cash? Fame, power?"

"I want $250,000" Flynn replied bluntly "In cash. There's no catch, no hidden agenda. I just want the money and then that's it. Over. You'll get Rapunzel home safely and we'll part ways."

"Well, that's a lot of money, son." Max said, all kindness in his voice gone "You got yourself into some sort of trouble that you can't get out of?"

"Doesn't matter." Flynn shrugged "For all you know I could just want a vacation of a lifetime."

"Well why don't you give me a name..." Max chanced.

"...John." Flynn replied, knowing that the detective wasn't stupid "You can call me, John."

"Ok, John..." The Detective drawled "When are you wanting it by?"

"Tomorrow. Noon" He forced himself to reply, his heart sinking deeper into his chest "Outside DC USA Shopping Centre."

"Oh, I don't know, John..." Max began "That doesn't leave me a lot of time to try and pull some strings."

"Then I guess you've got a challenge on your hands." Flynn retorted "I'll call back in 6 hours time Detective. I hope by then you can give me an answer."

"Wait! John, don't hang up!"

"6 hours Detective." And with that he hung up.

Flynn let out a breath that he didn't realise he was holding in. He knew that the Detective was bluffing. He knew he wanted him to stay on the phone just a little bit longer. Leaving him for six hours would probably drive Max insane, but for Flynn it gave him that little bit of time to be with her. Tomorrow would come too soon and today would be gone with the wind.  
…

Slamming the phone back on its cradle, Max could feel the start of a migraine. The boy was smart, he'd give him that. Blunt, sharp and straight to the point. He probably knew that getting the money together wouldn't be too difficult. That trying to keep him on the phone that bit longer was their task at hand. Now he was going to have to wait. Again with the waiting.

"Elsa..." Max murmured, rubbing his temples as he took a seat at his desk "Please tell me that you managed to get a location?"

"Sorry, Sir." She replied, shaking her head sadly "We were just a few seconds out."

Of course.

"You heard him guys. $250,000 by 12 Noon tomorrow." He grumbled, looking up at his team "That's what he's wanting...But the good news is that she is alive."

"How can you be so sure that he was telling the truth?" Conrad asked "He could be trying to pull the wool over our eyes."

"You missed it, didn't you?" Max asked, looking up at the Rookie "He called her by her name. He called her 'Rapunzel'."

"Yeah...so?" The Rookie questioned "What's that got to do with anything?"

"It shows, Conrad..." Max began, standing up "That he has a personal connection with this girl, even if it's just in his head. He is using her name because he feels like he knows her. He's too connected. Hell, you could even tell that simply by the tone in his voice...He's not planning on hurting her...He cares for her."

"You got all that because he said her name?" Conrad asked a little bewildered.

"Yes." Max replied "Princess is what she is, Rapunzel is who she is..."  
…

She had seen him make the call from the window. The pain that was etched across his face tore her heart in two. She had watched as he tugged at his hair, tightened his jaw and shut the world out. What she would give just to go and wrap her arms around him. Tell him that everything would be alright. That she was there. They were never going to say 'Goodbye'. That was a promise.

"Oh, Flynn..." She sighed, gently drawings sun shapes in the dirty glass panes as she watched him get off the step and walk back into the house "If only you could see how much you're worth to me."

Turning, Rapunzel made her way back over to the bed, sitting down and pulling her knees up into her chest. She hadn't been lying to him when she wished that they had met under different circumstances. She wanted to be with him. No matter how stupid and crazy it sounded, she did. She wanted a life with him. She wanted to hold him close and not worry if she was ever going to see him again. She wanted to bring him home to her Father and ask for his blessing. She knew that under any other circumstance her Father would have loved him.

Closing her eyes, Rapunzel bowed her head and began to pray again, something that had kept her sane ever since she was a child. Even if she didn't know how to explain how she was feeling, she knew God would understand.

"God..." She whispered "Thank you for bringing him into my life...Please don't take him away..."  
…

He couldn't remember the last time that he had had something to eat, the sound of his stomach growling indicating that it hadn't been recently. But he knew that he couldn't eat. The very thought caused his stomach to somersault. Instead he found a cold beer in the fridge would suffice.

Sitting at the table in the kitchen, Flynn cracked open the can and began to down the contents, the sound of the front door slamming shut as he did so. Fucking perfect.

Wiping his chin with the back of his hand, Flynn watched as Scott and Mike made their way into the kitchen, both looking a little calmer.

"...Hey..." Flynn started, taking another sip of his beer before setting the can down "You...you ok?"

"Yeah." Scott said with a slight nod, motioning for Mike to join him at sitting at the table "Yeah, we're ok."

There was silence, Flynn not daring to look them in the eyes.

"Look, Rider..." Scott began causing Flynn to finally meet their gaze "I'm not good at this sentimental shit, but I just want you to know that...well, I'm sorry for the way I've been behaving recently."

Sitting up a little straighter, Flynn never took his eyes off the two brothers. Never in his life had he ever witnessed Scott apologize for anything. Not when he accidentally broke Mike's nose or the time that he had scratched Eugene's new car. Apologies were just something that he was not acquainted with.

"You're sorry?" He questioned "For your behaviour?"

"Yeah." Scott nodded "Mikey too. You're right on us losing track on why we're really here. It's about Eugene. It ain't about us. I guess in a situation like this you can kind of forget that."

He didn't know what to say. They looked sincere enough, but even a serial killer could look kind hearted to someone.

"What'ya say?" Scott asked "Call it a truce?"

Flynn watched as his old friend held out his strong hand, his head and his heart pulling him in two different directions. A truce...No more arguing. No more fear of leaving Rapunzel in their company for any length of time. None of that.

"Truce..." He breathed out, shaking his hand.

A smile splayed across the twins' faces as Flynn shook both their hands. Getting up, Scott went to the fridge and pulled out another two beers, tossing one in Mike's direction.

"To Eugene!" Scott bellowed, holding his can up "He's comin' home!"

"To Eugene!" Mike cried with a chuckle, throwing his own can in the air.

"Yeah..." Flynn said softly, the sadness of losing Rapunzel evident in his voice as he gently held his own can up "To Eugene coming home."

With a loud cheer from Scott and Mike, the three clinked their cans together before taking a swig.

"The only way is up!" Cried Scott "The only way is up!"  
…

A/N:Ok, so a little shorter this time guys, but it was one of those chapters that I kinda had to finish like that. Lol. Hopefully you all enjoyed it anyway, and thank you all for your comments about the rating change. I think for now it's just going to stay T :)

Please review and let me know what you all think. I will be honest and say that I have NEVER been to America in my life, so I'm fully relying on Google Images and Maps to help me set the scene. Hopefully the locations that I've written about so far are kinda accurate lol. If not you can all shout at me lol :)


	10. Star-Crossed

Chapter Ten

It wasn't long before they found themselves bursting through the doors of the precinct, Fergus leading the way as his wife tried to keep up along his heavy strides. There had been contact! Finally a voice to the mystery. Max had barely finished his sentence before the King had abandoned the phone, grabbing Corrine and racing for their car.

They found the detective pacing back and forth in the bull pen talking to his team; a white board behind him scribbled with messy handwriting with pictures of Rapunzel, her apartment and the club scattered all over it. Max was soon snapped out of his informative speech at the sight of the King and Queen, their wide eyes dancing with hope.

"...Well..." Fergus began, panting slightly as he tried to regain his breath.

Smiling a little, Max removed his glasses before giving a deep breath.

"We've almost got him."  
…

The hours seemed to pass by slowly as Rapunzel lay on the bed staring up at the ceiling. The sun had long set, the cold night air once again invited into her room. She had heard the two brutes come back from their walk, and she had to admit that she was a little shocked that there had been no shouting and bawling. After a while she was surprised that there had actually been sounds of joyous laughter, the muffled cries of 'Eugene'ringing throughout the house.

Sighing, Rapunzel wrapped her arms around herself, closing her eyes as her thoughts drifted to her parents. She couldn't believe how much she missed them, even though she had been living herself for a few weeks. She missed her Father's strong hugs. His loving words of encouragement. No matter what she did, no matter what road she wanted to go down, he always supported her, whether he agreed with her or not. And her Mother, her best friend. She missed her Mother's laugh. Her stories. They way that she used to sing to her. Rapunzel couldn't help but think of her favourite song that her Mother used to sing to her as a child whenever she was hurt or ill.

"Flower gleam and glow...let your power shine, make the clock reverse bring back what once was mine..." She could feel fresh tears burn the back of her eyes "Heal what has been hurt, change the fates design save what has been lost, bring back what once was mine...what once was mine..."

Rubbing her teary eyes with the heel of her hand, Rapunzel let out a shaky breath. She didn't know what to feel anymore. What to think. Her mind was going haywire.

"You have a beautiful voice." He spoke softly, causing her to snap out of her daze.

She hadn't even heard him come in.

"Flynn..." She replied, sitting up on the bed "Is everything ok?"

"Yeah..." He responded, making his way over to sit next to her "Yeah, everything's fine...Good actually..."

Pulling her knees into her chest, Rapunzel tucked a lock of her golden hair behind her ear. She was thankful for his presence, unable to look away from him. He sat hunched forward on the bed, his brow screwed up as he stared off into space. She could tell that something was puzzling him, almost positive that it had to do with his two accomplices.

"Flynn..." She began, reaching out and gently resting a hand on his shoulder "What's going on? Please tell me."

"They...they apologized." He finally replied, almost not believing the what he spoke himself "...Said that they had lost sight on why we were here..."

"And you don't believe them?" She asked, leaning forward so her eyes met with his.

"I just..." He began, getting off the bed "They're pissed all day, go out for a 'walk' and come back as reformed characters...something just doesn't sit right with me..."

"Well...What are they doing now?" Rapunzel asked, following his actions and standing up.

"They're busy drinking they're body weight in beer." He scowled, a hand running through his shaggy hair "...I escaped for a few minutes to come and see you."

"Oh..." She smirked, thankful that the dimness in the room hid her blush "Well...I don't really need anything just now...But if you want to sit and talk for a while..."

Smiling, Flynn took a small step towards her.

"I'd love to stay..." He began "But it's nearly time for me to call back that Detective..." He could see the hidden sadness in her eyes and wondered if his showed the same emotion "All goes according to plan, you'll be home by dinner time tomorrow."

Swallowing back the tears that she knew were threatening to fall, Rapunzel took a step forward herself, her arms that were once wrapped round her slight frame falling to her side.

"...You know it's funny..." She said with a slight smirk "If you had said that to me two days ago, I would have been jumping for joy..." Again she took another step towards him "...I love my family dearly...But, and I know this is going to sound crazy...but...I'll miss you, Flynn..."

"...Remember 'Goodnight'..." He replied, his voice thick with pain "Goodnight means 'I'll see you soon'...Remember 'Goodnight', Rapunzel..."

"But what if I don't want to say 'Goodnight'..." She all but whispered.

Reaching out, Flynn ran his fingers through her hair, cupping the back of her head as he took a step forward. She looked so tiny in his arms, her small hands coming up and clutching at his hoody.

"I don't want to say 'Goodnight, Flynn." She continued, a hand coming to caress the side of his face "Don't make me..."

Leaning down, Flynn rested his forehead against hers, breathing in her scent as he willed himself to pull back. He couldn't be this close to her without letting his heart cloud his mind. But he neither could he move away. They just continued to stand, their lips millimetres apart...and that's when it happened. That's when she took a deep breath, pulled back slightly and looked up at him.

"I..." She began, her hand tightening on his hoody "...I love you, Flynn..."

Blinking back his own tears, Flynn let out a breath that he didn't know he was holding in, his head spinning as he tried to absorb what she had just confessed.

He didn't know what to say, simply because he didn't know if he would ever be able to find words strong enough to tell her how he felt for her. Instead, he just pulled her into his chest, wound his fingers into her soft hair and finally did what he had been wanting to do for far too long. He kissed her.  
…

It had taken every fibre in his being to pull away from her, knowing that the Detective was expecting a phone call at any moment. Reluctantly he had said his 'goodnight', and left the room, making his way down the stairs towards the living room. He wasn't surprised to find Scott and Mike exactly how he had left them, a can in their hands as the TV sat blaring. He could feel their eyes on him as he went to grab the cell phone.

"Time to phone this cop back." He mumbled, struggling to meet their gaze "Arrange a drop off for tomorrow hopefully."

"...Great..." Scott forced out, hoping that Flynn didn't notice the anger dancing in his eyes "Take all the time you need."

Nodding a little, Flynn made his way out of the house and took a seat on the porch steps. Looking up at the sky he couldn't help but stare in awe. He had never seen the sky look so beautiful, countless stars littering it from as far as the eye could see.

Sighing, Flynn drew his attention back to the matter at hand, typing in Max's number as he lit himself a cigarette. It didn't take long for the Detective to pick up.

"Detective Guard..." Came the strong voice of Max "Is that you, John..."

Swallowing a little, Flynn gave a small sigh before resting his head in his hand.

"Yeah..." He replied "6 hours, just like I said...Did you manage to make arrangements."

"Well..." Max began "After some serious persuasion with our department, and the Princesses parents we have managed to come to an agreement."

"Good." Flynn said, nodding his head slightly "So noon tomorrow? $250,000..."

"Noon tomorrow..." The Detective agreed "We'll leave a duffel bag with the cash in it in the trash can out front. You bring the girl out into sight, take the money and then that's it."

Flynn knew it sounded too easy.

"No funny business." Flynn said "The minute I get the cash and you get the girl that's it. No following us. You leave us be."

"OK..." Max replied quietly "Deal. The King and Queen just want her home...If I was having it my way though I'd be making sure you never saw the light of day again."

"Well isn't it a good thing that you're not having it your way." Came his retort as he dubbed out his cigarette butt "...And Detective Guard...I'm expecting you to be watching from the sidelines. If I so much as see someone who resembles a cop out there, I'm leaving."

There was a pause at the other end of the phone, Flynn becoming more and more conscious of the length of time he had left before they had a chance of locating him.

"You're smart, John..." Max finally spoke "I'll give you that...12 noon tomorrow. You won't see me. The money will be in the trash can out front. Take it, leave the girl then that's it. We part ways."

"12 noon..." Flynn replied "Until then..."

Hanging up, Flynn stood and dusted himself off before heading back into the grungy house. He was immediately greeted by a slightly tipsy Mike and Scott, who were ready for heading up to their room.

"What did he say?" Scott slurred, holding onto the banister for dear life.

"12 noon tomorrow." Flynn simply said, hoping that the sadness in his voice didn't betray him "It'll all be over then."

"Gotta hand it to you Rider." Scott smirked "I didn't think you'd pull this one off."

Without saying another word, Flynn watched the two brothers as they headed upstairs for the night, never moving until he heard the door shut. With a heavy heart he collapsed onto the bottom stair, his hands flying to his hair as he tried to process everything that had happened in the last half hour. The phone call, their kiss...her deceleration. It had all seemed so surreal. She loved him. Why, he'll probably never know, but she did, and he'd be damned if he didn't love her back.

He remembered briefly from high school reading Romeo and Juliet for English, the whole concept of two people unable to live without each other throwing him a little. He didn't believe that that type of love was normal or healthy. Hell, he didn't even know if that type of love existed. But at the thought of living the rest of his life without Rapunzel, Flynn was quickly coming to realise where this Shakespeare fella was coming from. Star-crossed. That's what they were.

After about 20 minutes, Flynn got up and began to head upstairs himself, his body begging him for sleep but his mind running a hundred miles an hour. Coming up to the landing her stopped, looking between his bedroom and door that led up to the attic. He knew he had to speak to her, and now since the twins were sleeping, was probably the best time he was going to get.

With a shaky breath, Flynn ran his hand through his hair before quietly making his way towards the door that led up to the attic. He practically tiptoed up the stairs, the whole journey feeling like a thousand years had passed before he finally got to the battered door that separated him from her. He couldn't remember being this nervous in his whole life, not even when he grabbed her behind the club that night as she made her through the alley way towards her apartment. With fumbling fingers he picked through the keys in his pocket, eventually finding the one that would unlock the door between them.

After what felt like a lifetime, Flynn unlocked the door and slowly opened it, finally coming face to face with Rapunzel who stood by the window, her arms once again wrapped round her slight frame. She looked beautiful, her hair shining in the moonlight as she gave him a small smile. A smile that would melt even the most hardened of hearts. He couldn't help but smile back, all fear that he had felt quickly vanishing as she began to make her way over, quietly coming to a stop in front of him.

No words were exchanged as he brushed some hair from her face, his hand coming round the back of her head once again as he pulled her in for a heated kiss. It was different from the first one. A kiss filled with hunger and passion, whereas the first had been sweet and loving. The type of first kiss that she deserved.

Pulling back slowly, Flynn looked down into her emerald green orbs, and without saying a word gently walked her further into the room, quietly kicking the door closed behind him.

...

A/N: Soooooooo, what did'ya think? I really hope that you all enjoyed this chapter, I was a little nervous writing it.

Reviews are so much appreciated (Plus they put a HUGE smile on my face) :-) Please leave me one to let me know what you thought and what I could do to make the story even better.

Thanks :-)


	11. Forever

Chapter Eleven

They had been sat huddled in the hall closet for what felt like hours, Eugene pressed tightly up against Flynn's side as they continued to listen to the terrified screams of their mother; plates and glasses clattering in the background. He couldn't help the silent tear that ran down his cheek at her disgruntled cry, the sound of her slight body falling to the floor causing his fists to ball up. She had told him to hide. Told him to take Eugene and stay away until she came to get them.

Wrapping an arm around his little brother, Flynn scooted them further back into the closet, the many coats stuffed inside falling and creating a curtain in front of them. He could feel Eugene's small fingers dig into his arm as their mother fell once again outside the closet, their father screaming at her to get up.

"Flynn..." Eugene whispered, his small voice filled with fear "Is he going to kill her?"

"Shut up, Eugene." He hissed back as their mother let out a scream once again.

"But Flynn..." He pressed, staring up at his big brother "If he kills her then he'll kill us...I'm too scared to die tonight."

"Eugene!" Flynn exclaimed, turning to glare at the little boy "Shut. Up."

Cowering back, Eugene gave a small nod. He knew that his brother wasn't meaning to snap at him. He was scared too. But he couldn't stay quiet. If he did then he would be plagued by the sounds of her cries...The cries that had now stopped.

Feeling the fear begin to build up in him once again, Flynn scooted as far back into the closet as he could, his back soon hitting the cold wall. Hearing Eugene begin to whimper, he quickly covered his mouth motioning him to stay silent. Had he killed her? Were they next? He was too scared to move, the sound of heavy footsteps getting closer and closer to their hidden sanctuary...and then it happened. The door burst open, Eugene letting out a scream.

"Gotcha!" Cried their father, grabbing Flynn by the ankle and dragging him out.

Flynn snapped awake, his heart racing as he tried to regain his breath. A nightmare. That's all it had been. A nightmare. Lying back down he let out a sigh of relief, his hands finding their way into his messy hair as he stared up at the ceiling. It had been a while since he had had a nightmare about his father. About that night where he had been dragged out of the closet. By the time he had woken up the next morning he had found Eugene huddled by the front door crying; his Mom long gone.

For years he had hated her. Loathed her even. Why hadn't she taken them with her? Why hadn't she come back for them? She'd left them to rot in a living hell with Satan himself...It had taken him years to man up and forgive her. How was she supposed to know that if she left, he'd only get worse?

Pushing the thoughts to the back of his mind, Flynn sat up in the bed a little, his grandfather's dog tags which he had taken to wearing jingling. That must have been what woke her. Turning to look down into her emerald green eyes, Flynn couldn't help but smile a little, a small blush creeping up her cheeks.

"What time is it?" She whispered, holding the bed sheets tightly to her chest as she sat up too.

"It's early still." He replied, brushing a stray lock behind her ear "You should go back to sleep. Big day ahead of us."

She didn't try to hide her sadness anymore. Instead she wrapped her arms around him, burying her face into the crook of his neck. He didn't hesitate in returning the hug; pressing a small kiss to her hair. Pulling back she looked at him with glassy eyes, her fingers lightly tracing the hideous scar on his shoulder.

"No matter what happens..." She began, her voice cracking ever so slightly "...I'll love you forever."

He could feel his heart drop further than it ever had before. He couldn't help but wonder if she was the reason that it was still beating altogether. When she left would it just give out? Begin to slow down 'til it could beat no longer?

"I'll love you too." He replied, running a hand through her hair "Always..."

With a sad smile Rapunzel sat back a little, her small hand pulling at something on the other. Once again Flynn fought back the tears that were threatening to fall. He watched as she silently took off the ring her father had once given her, leaning round to unclasp the chain to his dog tags before letting the dainty object fall alongside them. Her final admission that she was his.

"Now you'll have me forever." She smiled.

Holding the small ring in his hand, Flynn leaned over and kissed her, an act that he was certain he would miss. Reluctantly he pulled back, Rapunzel silently nodding that she knew he had to go. She watched as he pulled his clothes back on, safely tucking the treasure round his neck into his t-shirt before following his actions and pulling the sweats and oversized jumper on.

"I'll come and get you in the morning." He whispered, leaning down to press a soft kiss to her lips "Until then, sleep."

Nodding, Rapunzel gave a small smile and watched him leave. Laying down she couldn't help but let her mind wander to everything that had happened in the past 72 hours. The ups, the downs, the laughs and the tears. She was never going to forget her three days in limbo.

…

It was around 8 in the morning when he woke up in his own bed, still fully clothed from leaving the attic. Chuck Taylor's included. With a yawn and a stretch, Flynn got up and began to make his way downstairs, the sound of pots banging in the kitchen a strong indication that Scott and Michael were up and ready to take on the biggest day of their lives.

With dread in his heart, Flynn finally came to a stop at the kitchen door, the two brothers already sitting at the table enjoying their breakfast. He couldn't help but feel like he was being watched as he entered the room, quietly joining them at the table as he rubbed his eyes.

"What you doing sleeping in so late?" Scott asked, shovelling a forkful of eggs into his mouth "You're usually dancing around down here before any of us."

"Just didn't sleep too well, I guess." He replied, sitting back in his chair "You guys been up long?"

"'bout half an hour." Mike mumbled "Can't even remember goin' to sleep."

Flynn couldn't help but feel an element of relief wash over him. He couldn't deny that the thought of them suspecting something had happened between him and Rapunzel last night had bothered him. At least now he knew they were safe from any suspicions.

At the thought of last night, Flynn's mind quickly wandered to the blonde haired beauty. In less than six hours time she would be ripped out of his life forever...But in less than six hours time, his brother would be saved. Taking a deep breath, Flynn decided that it was finally time to tell the two brothers what Rapunzel had said.

"She wants to help guys..." He began, causing the two to pause and look at him "We were talking the other night there...the night you guys went into the city, and I...I ended up sharing with her why we had taken her..." Looking up he could see the anger burn deep in the back of Scott's eyes "She, surprisingly, felt nothing but compassion...I think it's time to get her out of that attic and down here with us guys...She wants to help save Eugene...We should be discussing this drop off today as a team..."

The twins remained silent, not really knowing what to say. All this time she had known why they had taken her and not once did he ever think to tell them! Trying to rein in his anger, Scott turned to Flynn, his fist balling under the table to stop himself from lashing out and sucker punching him. He himself had a plan, and he had to play along.

"...She knows?" Was all he could say "She knows about Eugene?"

All Flynn could do was nod slowly.

"And how does she suppose she can help?" Mike asked, his own anger rising within him "By calling up her Daddy and asking for his card numbers?"

"Look!" Flynn exclaimed "All I'm saying is that she wants to help, and I think it would probably be for the best if we get her down here and we all talk...face to face..."

At that Scott couldn't help but scoff a little, Flynn trying hard to avoid his penetrating gaze.

"...She's seen you too, hasn't she?" Scott asked "She's seen your face..."

"...Yeah..." Flynn replied with a slight nod "But not once has she tried to make a run for it...Believe me when I say guys that we can trust her, ok? I have no doubt in my mind that we can trust her."

There was silence, the only thing keeping the two brothers from pulling their guns on him right there and then was the thought of making off with the money themselves.

"Well then..." Scott finally spoke "I guess it's time we finally went and introduced ourselves."  
…

A/N: Ok guys, so shortish chapter, but I feel to leave it here for now. Next chapter we're going to see things beginning to move, and unfortunately to say, very soon we will be coming to the end of this story, which I have LOVED writing.


	12. Showtime

Chapter Twelve

She couldn't stop herself from doing it. Looking around at her surroundings one final time before her world would be turned upside down once again. As dingy and horrible as the small musky room was, she couldn't help but smile a little. Yes she had hated it at the beginning. Hated it with a never ending passion. The thought of being cooped up like an animal had done nothing but cause her blood to boil. When she had looked around all she was able to see was pain, hurt and misery. Now, all she could see when she looked around was a brief escape from a world that caused so much anguish and confusion. An escape that had brought her a taste of something that she never knew would be possible for her to genuinely experience. Love.

Letting her fingers dance across the dusty window pane, Rapunzel slowly turned and eyed the beaten boxes that had sat in the corner of the room since her arrival. She had to admit that she hadn't felt very compelled to have a rummage through them during her 'stay'. She had almost forgotten that they were even there, but now the more she looked the more she was itching to see.

A little hesitantly, Rapunzel moved over to the stacks of boxes. She could tell that they hadn't been touched in a very long time, a thick layer of dust covering each and every one of them. As quietly as possible she reached up and brought down the first one, surprised that it was a lot lighter than it looked. Sitting crossed legged and tucking a curl behind her ear, Rapunzel tore open the box. She couldn't help but smile at what she found.

Rapunzel felt like she had been transported back to the 20's as she stared into the box of wonders, glitzy dresses, stunning shoes and elegant feathered boas all begging to be brought out and admired. She had never seen anything quite like it in her life. Reaching in, she picked out the few crumpled black and white photos that littered the top; a young beautiful woman dressed to the nines gracing every one. She couldn't have been any older than her. Turning over the picture Rapunzel found a neatly printed handwritten note. Gracie Roth, 1928, 18 years old.

After spending what felt like a blissful lifetime rummaging through the box, Rapunzel soon found herself opening another, this time only to find instead of dresses, countless wigs. Wigs of every style and colour each being stored with yet more pictures of Gracie wearing every single one of them. She couldn't help but envy Gracie slightly. Beautiful, young and with the world at her fingertips. She could be anyone that she chose to be, not having a care in the world.

Reaching further into the box, Rapunzel's fingertips brushed against something hard. A little confused, she pulled it out, only to come face to face with a worn out diary. Gracie's diary.

With excitement jumping within her, Rapunzel didn't think twice before flicking it open, Gracie's neat penmanship covering every page.

May 4th 1928,

Oh diary, what can I tell you? He's perfect. Wonderful even...A real gentleman, you know? Not like that Billy Dukes who works behind the bar. I swear if that boy don't leave me alone I'm going to have Ronnie sort him out...Oh diary, I know it's a little pathetic that I talk to you like a real person, but out of everyone in the whole world I've ever shared something with, your the only one that has never spilled a secret...

He came up to me again tonight. Joe Stabbington that is. He asked for a dance, and you know me, ever the extrovert, I accepted. You know I really think this is going to go somewhere...Daddy don't like him too much though. Said he's heard some bad stuff about Joe's family. Said if he ever hears of me hanging out with him then there'll be hell to pay...Oh, it's just like Romeo and Juliet...Star-crossed lovers. Oh, I get giddy at the thought. How romantic!

Well diary, I better go for tonight...Joe and I are meeting at the diner tomorrow for a 'secret rendezvous' as he put it. I can't wait...For now though, I bid you farewell...

Gracie x

Star-crossed lovers...Gracie and Joe...Flynn and Rapunzel...

Sighing, Rapunzel closed the diary. She probably would never know what happened to Gracie and Joe, part of her happy to leave it at them having their 'secret rendezvous'. Happy at leaving them happy...but as Rapunzel had been reading about their happiness, she didn't hear the heavy footsteps making their way up the stairs, the sound of the rusted key turning in the lock. By the time she had realized the door opened, Flynn slowly entering only to be followed by two rather tall, rather pissed looking men...The monsters.

"What's going on..." She managed to stutter out, her gaze never leaving the two brutes.

"Rapunzel..." Flynn spoke softly, standing to the side a little "I'd like you to officially meet Scott and Mike..."

She didn't know what to say. She could only stare. Her eyes meeting with the twins' for the first time. One looked particularly menacing, his eyes and nose bruised by what she assumed was her doing. She couldn't help but smile inwardly at the memory of punching someone in the face as she was being taken, nor the time that she had kicked out before filming the ransom tape.

"What the fuck you doin' lookin' through all this stuff." The one with the bruises grunted, snapping Rapunzel out of her daze "This is our Grandmother's stuff..." Marching over he grabbed the boxes away from her, quickly closing them up once again and stacking them away "Don't ever touch her things..."

"Sorry..." She mumbled "I was just looking..."

There was silence again, Scott staring at her through slits. Sensing the tension, Flynn cleared his throat, his eyes darting back and forth between the three.

"Rapunzel..." He began, breaking the deafening silence "We're hear to talk about what's going to happen this afternoon. How we're going to go about handing you back over." Her heart wrenched as she gave a small nod "We're doing the drop off outside DC USA Shopping Centre at noon..." Flynn continued "We grab the money, we'll leave you out in the open and then that's it...over...That cop, Max Guard, is going to be watching from a distance. He'll come and get you when we're gone..."

Again she nodded, praying that her tears wouldn't fall in front of Scott and Mike.

"Ok..." She replied, her voice hoarse "So what are the plans?"

Sighing, Flynn looked between the two brothers.

"I don't know yet..." He confessed "I mean if we grab the money, then lead you out then there's a very high chance that He'll see the car and follow us...Then again if we lead you out then grab the money, a member of the public is most likely going to say something. Your face is on every news channel in the country..."

"We could just do it quickly..." Scott jumped in "Take her out, grab the money then bolt. We could even park further away."

"And what if he catches us..." Flynn replied back "He does that then Eugene's gone for...We can't risk that."

Rapunzel couldn't help but drone out a little as the three men began to debate amongst themselves. It didn't matter what would happen. After 12 noon, she would never see Flynn again...but just as the thought left, Rapunzel's eyes quickly drifted back over towards the boxes. Of Course!

"Hey, guys..." She cut in, her eyes never leaving the boxes "I have an idea..."  
…

They had pleaded with him to come along. Begged him to let them stand and watch the scoundrels hand over their baby, but he refused point blank. He had already promised 'John' that he would be there alone, and already he had broken that promise. Years of training and being in the field had taught Max that you should never go to a scene without backup. The armed SWAT Team was enough backup to make sure nothing would go wrong. He would stand on the other side of the street with his coffee and watch. His army taking root on the roofs above him, their weapons aimed.

"I want these guys alive, Gentlemen!" He cried to the readily prepared SWAT Team as he fastened a bullet proof vest on "You only shoot if you have to. I have this guy's trust just now. I promised it would be over when we got the Princess back. Any cock ups and we could lose her forever."

"But sir..." One of the men began "You can't just let them walk away."

"I am aware of this." Max replied, finally focusing on the group "But right now they don't need to know that...We wait till he takes the money, we grab the Princess and then...we get him...I'm not letting this one get away..."  
…

It was genius. Simple really, but genius all the same. Scott and Mike had been a little reluctant at first, but after some gentle persuasion they finally relented. When Rapunzel had suggested what had been going on in her head, Flynn could have kissed her there and then. It would give her an element of control. She could watch them drive off before revealing herself. Giving them that freedom and securing that hope that Eugene would be safe.

They wasted no time in getting ready, the three leaving Rapunzel in the attic to give her some privacy. Flynn changed into a simple white t-shirt and a pair of faded jeans. Rapunzel back into her dress she had worn that night, Flynn's infamous hoodie wrapped round her small body. Once dressed she began to rummage through the old boxes again, picking out the most suitable shoes she could find before taking her pick from all the wigs. She settled on one of the most basic wigs she could find. A lovely pixie cut brunette one. She had always wanted to be a brunette when she was younger, probably because her Mom was.

Flynn couldn't help but smile a little when he came up to see her. He wanted to have his last minute goodbyes before Scott and Mike called them down.

"Looks better on you than it does on me." He smirked, tugging at the end of his hoodie a little.

"I'll make sure you get it back." She all but whispered "It's colder in Washington than it is in Corona. Wouldn't want you catching a death."

"Nah, You keep it." He replied, taking her small hand in his "I'll take my chances."

Feeling the tears burn the back of her eyes, Rapunzel flew into his ready arms, wrapping her own around his neck.

"Hey..." Flynn spoke, his own voice cracking slightly "No more tears...It'll be alright..."

Pulling back a little, she looked up at him, her eyes wider than he had ever seen them. He could see the question dancing in her eyes. How? How will it be alright? But instead of answering her silent pleas, he just smiled again, his gaze travelling to her hair. No crying...Don't cry, Rider...

"You know..." He began, hoping that his voice sounded more light hearted as he tried to divert the conversation "I've always had a thing for brunettes..."

Smiling a little herself, Rapunzel pulled back once again, wiping her nose on the hoodie sleeve.

"Oh..." She said with a slight nod "That so?"

"Yeah." He replied with a shrug "But then I met this blonde girl who changed everything."

"Really?" Rapunzel feigned interest, a smirk tugging at her lips "What happened there?"

"Oh, you know..." Flynn carried on with a roll of the eyes "I contracted that really inconvenient disease that people get...what's it called now? Oh! Love! Yeah...That's it. Horrible thing that is..."

She couldn't help but giggle a little as Flynn pulled her in towards him, his forehead resting against hers as he gave her a deep kiss.

"I love you..." He finally whispered as he pulled back, his lips millimetres from hers.

"I love you too..." She replied.

Brushing her cheek slightly, Flynn found that he could do nothing but look at her. He didn't want to think about what it would be like that night, or the next day, or the next. Instead, he just looked.

"Rider!" Came the cry from Scott downstairs, snapping them out of their own little world "It's time. C'mon!"

Sighing, Flynn's gaze never left Rapunzel's. He didn't know what to say in their final moments without sounding pathetic. But in those seconds, he really didn't care.

"You gave me a forever within numbered days..." He eventually whispered "...Thank you for showing me what it's like to live again..."

Smiling through her tears a little, Rapunzel reached up and brushed his cheek.

"I never really had a dream in life..." She spoke softly "Then I met you...You were my new dream."

Pulling her in for one final kiss, Flynn bit back his tears. He was not going to cry.

"Rider!" Came Scott's cry once again "Let's go!"

Reluctantly pulling back, Flynn could do nothing but give Rapunzel a small nod, his grip on her hands tightening slightly.

"Showtime."  
……


	13. Redemption

Chapter Thirteen

The drive from Dickerson to DC was spent mainly in silence, Flynn and Scott in the front while Mike stayed in the back with Rapunzel, her slight body pressed as far away from the silent man as possible. Looking at her through the rearview mirror, Flynn wanted nothing more than to tell Scott to pull over so he could hug her. The pointed glances from Mike were not going unnoticed by either of them. When their eyes briefly met in the mirror, all he could do was give her a ghost of a smirk, one that she so desperately wanted to return.

Reluctantly, Rapunzel turned her attention to the outside world. Even in Corona, she had never seen such beautiful sights. Trees laced with golden leaves, the sun dancing behind each one of them. She couldn't help but smile as she watched children cycle through the fields, a freedom that she had so longed for her entire life. It wasn't until she felt the menacing eyes of Mike burning into the back of her skull did she turn back round.

"How long till we're there?" She quietly asked, Scott glaring slightly in the mirror.

"Not long now..." Flynn replied back softly, his own gaze casting out the window "Probably about 30 minutes."

With a silent nod, Rapunzel wrapped her arms round her tiny body, her gaze once again turning towards the window in an effort to stop herself from crying. She felt like she was stuck between a rock and a hard place with a bus coming straight in her direction.

"Now you all know what you're doing, right Rider?" Scott muttered, the car swerving violently as he took a sharp left.

Glancing in the rearview one final time, Flynn caught Rapunzel's gaze once again, his heart sinking further than ever.

"...Couldn't forget if I tried..." He mumbled.

…

They had arrived early. Parked in an isolated spot behind some rundown apartment blocks. Zipping up his jacket to cover the kevlar protecting him, Max watched as the SWAT Team flew past him with a surprising silence before breaking up into three groups, each group marching up three separate fire escapes towards the roofs of the surrounding buildings.

He couldn't help but let the wave of relief wash over him, something he had been trying to hold back until the Princess was safe by his side. Guaranteed safety. That had been his mistake last time. When she had gone missing. The minute he had arrived to the scene, his team by his side, he had let the relief sink in. He was getting her back. She was ok. Safe...But she had never been ok. She had never been safe. The sight of her small body lying in the dirt was what had greeted him. The life, long gone from her eyes.

For that, he would never forgive himself. But maybe, just maybe, today could be some form of redemption.

…

They pulled up in a quiet street all too quickly for Rapunzel's liking, Scott killing the engine and turning to look at her. He was smiling slightly, a forced one, she could tell. Probably too happy to see her go. After all, he had taken a knock to the face twice at her doing. With trembling hands she made sure the pixie cut wig was firmly in place before undoing her seatbelt; Flynn following her actions in undoing his as Scott handed him an unopened can of coke.

She could see the pain in his face as he took it, something which would have appeared so silly to anyone in the dark, but for the two of them, that unopened can of coke would be the final step to their plans. Looking up, their eyes met, Flynn giving her a small nod to follow him out of the car.

"S'long, Princess..." Scott sneered with a soft chuckle as they stepped out of the car, the hairs on the back of Rapunzel's neck standing upright.

"I won't be long." Flynn said before slamming the car door shut.

With a hidden glower, Scott watched as the two began to head down the street, turning to face his brother when the two were far enough away.

"Let's go find a spot where we can watch..." He began, the Grinch like smile quickly spreading across his face "And grab the girl before it's too late..."

With a smile and a nod from Mike, Scott fired the engine to life and slowly pulled out from their hidden spot before making their way out the street in the opposite direction from Flynn and Rapunzel.

…

They walked down the street mainly in silence, both casting each other lingering glances while the other wasn't looking. Without saying a word, Flynn gently took hold of her small hand as they came to the end of the street, the busy looking mall only a few yards away from them. This was it. This was where they were going to part ways forever.

Turning to face her, Flynn couldn't find any words to speak. All he could do was tuck a stray piece of blonde under her wig before pulling her close for one final kiss. At that moment all he wanted to do was grab her by the hand and run off. Run for the nearest bus station and get away from life. But instead, he pulled back, resting his forehead against hers as he tried to regain his breathing.

"I hate this..." He mumbled, pulling back to look down at her "But we're both going to be strong..."

"Yeah." She nodded "For Eugene..."

With a nod of his own, Flynn reluctantly took a step back, his arms dropping to his side as he let go of her hand.

"...Don't look back." He whispered "No matter what, don't look back."

With a sad smile, Rapunzel nodded once again and slowly began to walk away, her eyes never leaving his before she was forced to turn away and cross the busy road. And just like that she was gone. A small speck in the sea of people that were moving in and out of crowds in front of the mall.

Flynn waited until he could see her standing on the other side of the street. She looked so tiny and lost as she wrapped his hoody tightly round her body. The plan was for her to pretend like she was waiting on someone. Stand and look around as he quietly sipped away at his coke before throwing the empty can into the trash can that contained the bag filled with money. As he tossed the can he would then grab the bag, give her one last lingering look and run. When he was out of sight she would remove her disguise and Max would come to the rescue.

So with one final sigh, Flynn ran his hands threw his messy hair and cracked open the soda can before following his love, and crossing the road.

…

At 11:58, Max was beginning to worry. He had been sitting casually sipping at his stone cold coffee for what seemed like forever as he watched from the small café across the street for any sighting of the Princess, but still there was no sign of her. No flash of long golden hair. No startled reactions from passer bys.

With a clenched jaw, Max looked up towards the towering buildings, his SWAT Team well hidden from prying eyes. Where could they be? It was 11:59 now. With panic washing over him, Max stood.

"Boss..." Came the distorted voice from Conrad through his earpiece "What's going on? Is there any sign yet?"

"Not yet..." Max replied back quietly, his eyes never leaving the front of The DC USA Shopping Centre. But that's when he saw him. A young man lazily sipping away on a can of Coke "Wait...Conrad...The guy drink the soda...Do you see him?"

"The guy in the white t-shirt..." Conrad asked in confusion "Sir...he's only walking about. He's alone..."

But it was the feeling in his gut that told Max to hold on.

"He's not alone..." He replied back, his eyes trained on the young man before him "Conrad! That's him. Keep all firearms aimed, but don't shoot! I want this asshole alive!"

…

She had never really been a great actress. Even as a child she struggled putting 'shows' on for her parents to watch, so as Rapunzel stood there 'waiting', she really had no clue as how she should be behaving. She stood for what felt like years before Flynn came back into sight, carefully sipping on his Coke as he moved in and out of the sea of people who were oblivious as to what was happening right in front of their eyes. She couldn't help but smile a little when their eyes met through the growing crowds. A ghost of a smile flashing across his own face.

She watched as he slowly looked around, walking around as if he were in a daze, but in reality was searching out any danger. Anything that could hinder their plan. She watched as he downed the last of his drink before cautiously making his way over to the trash can that held his treasure. A look of pure relief washing over his face as he looked down.

He's got it...That's all that was running through her mind. She wanted nothing more than to let the joy that was building up within her to burst out in a laughter that was threatening to explode...But as quickly as her joy had arrived, it soon faded, because there, dancing along Flynn's broad chest was the small familiar red dot that she had seen so many times before.

A sniper! No!

Looking up towards the towering flats across the road, Rapunzel caught sight of the dark figures trying to conceal themselves. Never in all her life did she ever think that what her Father had had her taught would come as any use. But as she watched another red dot bob along his white t-shirt, and another, she knew that he had been found out.

No! You're not going to take him away from me like this!

Without thinking, Rapunzel shot out in a quick run, weaving in and out of the people as she raced to her beloved as he slowly began to reach into the trash.

"Flynn!" She called, causing him to snap up.

Without having time to think about what was going on, Rapunzel flung herself at him, enveloping him in a loving hug as she pulled him in for a kiss.

"Rapunzel!" He hissed "What the fuck are you doing?"

He couldn't deny his confusion as she looked up at him with a big smile before pulling him in for another hug.

"They're watching you." She whispered into his ear.

"Who's watching me?" He asked, his arms instinctively making their way round her small waist.

"Snipers." She replied, briefly casting her eyes down to his chest "I know when someone has a gun trained on them. Right now you've got a lot. It's not safe Flynn. You have to abort this."

following her gaze slightly, Flynn looked down at his chest, and indeed he had a number of red dots dancing along it.

Fuck...

"The money..." He said, his voice sounding defeated.

"You need to leave it." She said "You grab that bag in there, your confirming all their suspicions. Trust me Flynn, they won't think twice about shooting the guy who kidnapped the Princess...Just toss the can, act like that's what you were doing, put a smile on and we'll walk away together like a loving couple who've just met up. Ok? Please. Don't make me lose you like this..."

With a soft nod, Flynn did as she asked, throwing the empty can in the trash, slapping on his 'happy face' and slinging an arm over her shoulder before quickly pulling her away into the crowds. It didn't take him long to spot Scott and Mike parked in a more open spot, the two of them looking rather pissed off when they realised that he was back empty handed.

"What the fuck!?" Scott bellowed, Flynn quickly diving into the car "Where's the money."

"We gotta go..." Was all he could muster up "That son-of-a-bitch cop didn't come alone."

"You need to drive, Scott..." Rapunzel urged "You need to go...GO!"

With his anger raging inside him, Scott kicked the car into gear and quickly pulled out of their spot. This is not what they planned. He was going to get his hands on that money even if it killed him.

…

He had to admit, the minute the young girl had thrown herself at the young man in a loving embrace, it had really thrown him. Never, in Max's 22 years on the force had he ever been so...wrong...But even after they two had kissed and walked away, he couldn't shake the feeling that he had just watched his suspect get away.

Ignoring the frantic calls from Conrad over his earpiece, Max ran across the road, many cars forced to an abrupt halt as they honked their horns at him. But he didn't care. He had to see for himself.

Skidding to a stop by the trash can, Max frantically grabbed it and looked in, only to see the duffel bag exactly where he had placed it.

"Sir!" Came the exhausted pants from Conrad as he joined him "Sir, what happened?"

"He sussed us..." Max exclaimed, kicking the trash can in frustration "And now we have nothing! Son-of-a-bitch!"

But just as he went to kick it again, his sights fell on to the empty Coke can that lay atop the bag, and with that, a little bit of hope began to grow once again.

" Conrad..." He said, never taking his gaze off the can "Hand me a bag."

Without question, Conrad pulled a see through bag from his pocket, handing it to Max who wasted no time in opening it, turning it inside out into a glove and picking up the empty soda can.

"What do you need that for?" Conrad finally asked, the smile on Max's face confusing him further "It's just a can..."

"It may be just a can, Conrad..." Max smirked, holding the evidence up "But it can tell us exactly who we're looking for. Get this to DNA, ASAP!"  
…

They arrived back to the shack in record time, Flynn checking out the window every five seconds to make sure that they weren't being followed, but much to his relief they had gotten away. Pulling the wig off, Rapunzel followed the boys inside, Flynn leading the way as he slowly tried to regain his breath.

"That was close." He gasped, turning to face his friends. But as he did Scott's large fist came down onto his face causing him to fall to the ground as Rapunzel ran to his side.

"What are you doing!?" She cried, only for Scott to push her out of the way as he continued to beat into Flynn with as much force as he could muster "Stop it! Stop it!"

She could only watch as Scott grabbed him by his bloodied shirt, pulling him up to face him.

"You had one job, Rider!" He barked, Mike coming to stand next to his brother "One job and you even managed to fuck that up!"

"What are you talking about." Flynn spat out, blood falling from his mouth into his facial scruff "They were going to catch us -"

But without waiting, Scott took another swing, Flynn falling back to the ground with a loud thud.

"Oh my gosh!" Rapunzel cried, tears forming in her eyes "Stop please."

But again, they ignored her pleas; Scott grabbing Flynn by the shirt once again as he continued to pound into him. But just as Scott raised his fist to bring it down onto Flynn's face a final time, his gaze fell to the old dog tags that had slipped out from underneath his shirt.

"What the..." He began, grabbing the chain and looking at it, the small ring that Rapunzel had slipped on there through the night held tightly between his stubby fingers "Where the fuck did you get this?"

But as soon as the words had left his mouth, realization hit, the anger that he had been trying so hard to contain finally spilling over in full. Through bloodied swollen eyes, Flynn stared up at his once friend, his heart stopping at what he held. The ring...

"Shit..." He gasped, his gaze snapping over to his blonde haired beauty "Rapunzel...Run!"  
…

A/N: Well guys, super long chapter, but I hope you all enjoyed it. Now you all know why I had to cut the last chapter's length. Lol. Please leave a little review to let me know what you all thought. Probably less than 5 chapters left now :'( Boo...


	14. Run

Chapter Fourteen

"Rapunzel...Run!" He gasped out, slumping forward as blood spilled from his mouth "Run!"

With tears blurring her vision and with a trembling lip, Rapunzel struggled to tear her gaze away from Flynn's broken, battered body. His once brilliant white t-shirt now stained crimson from the fast flowing wounds on his face. His hair sticking to the cuts above his eyebrows. Time seemed to come to a halt as she stared at him. His body heaving as he stared straight back at her.

"Rapunzel!" He cried out once again, his voice filled with frustration "Run! Now!"

Forcing herself to move, Rapunzel about turned quickly and ran for the door, Mike moving to grab her as she shot past. But he was too slow. With a grunt, he turned to face his brother, who once again began to beat Flynn with as much force as he could muster up.

"Well, go get her!" Scott cried, looking over his shoulder before bringing Flynn's face down on his knee.

Dropping to the floor, Flynn couldn't help but clutch at his burning ribs; Scott noticing and taking great pleasure in delivering a swift kick to his side as Mike took off after Rapunzel.

"Don't mix business with pleasure, huh?" Scott muttered, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand as he stared down at his once friend who was trying to crawl across the floor "...Well don't you worry, pal...Mikey's goin' to get her and then we'll all have a real good time."

"I swear if you touch her..." Flynn coughed, forcing himself to sit up "If you fuckin' touch her..."

"You'll what!?" Scott scoffed, crouching down so he was at eye level with him "...C'mon, Rider...What'll you do?"

He could do nothing but scowl up at the monster before him, the disgusting sneer that faced him causing his stomach to flip. All she had to do was run a little bit faster. Get out onto the road and flag down a car. She'd be safe then. He could die in peace knowing that she would be safe...but if she wasn't fast enough, if she didn't make it to the road...then there was only one thing he could do...

"You touch her..." He began calmly "...Then I won't hesitate putting a bullet between your fuckin' eyes."  
…

Her lungs were burning as she forced her legs to keep going, her borrowed shoes scattered somewhere behind her as she powered through to reach the road. Just a little further...Just a little further...With tears burning her eyes, she glanced back, her heart stopping as she saw Mike fast approaching. Not this time. He was not going to get her this time. With new found energy she pressed on, the stones and odd shard of glass littering the ground embedding themselves in her already healing feet.

"Where'd you think you're goin' girly!?" Mike called, his voice much closer than she had suspected.

Not daring to look back again, Rapunzel gave everything she had to gain speed. She had nearly made it to the road, a sense of relief overcoming her as she saw an old beat up Chevy approaching in the distance. I'm going to make it...With hope building within her, Rapunzel began to wave, her arms flailing around urgently as she stepped onto the hot tarmac.

"Stop!" She cried, briefly looking over her shoulder to see Mike slowing down "Please! Stop!"

Limping a little, Rapunzel almost cried as the old truck came to a stop in front of her. Shrugging Flynn's oversized zippy back onto her shoulder, she quickly made her way over to the truck, Mike nowhere in sight as the driver stepped out. The small man couldn't have been a day under 60, his thin frame and mouse like features bringing a sense of calm to Rapunzel as she flung herself into his frail arms.

"Oh my word..." He gasped, holding onto her as tight as he could as she erupted into a fit of tears "Why, You-You're that missing princess! Oh, my Dear, let's get you out of here..."

"No, wait!" She all but screamed "Flynn! They're killing him! They're killing him, we need to get help! Please! Please, call for help!"

Alarmed by her outburst, the small man gave a quick nod before reaching over and opening the truck door.

"Ok, ok...I have a radio inside." He replied, looking at her over his large round glasses "I'll call into my wife and get her to call the police, just hang tight..."

With a panicked nod and a shaky breath, Rapunzel watched as the little man reached into the truck and pulled out his radio.

"Don't you worry, Dear." He spoke softly, a small smile peeking out from under his full moustache "You'll be home soo-"

But before he could finish, a loud crack rang out from around them, blood spraying onto Rapunzel's face as the small man dropped to the ground in front of her. Screaming in horror, Rapunzel watched as the blood seeped from the bullet wound in the man's head, the radio still clutched in his limp hand.

"No!" She cried, collapsing next to him before turning him over "No! Please, please!"

Crying, Rapunzel pulled herself from the ground, the little man's blood pooling round her feet. I'm sorry...I'm so, so sorry...With a hand clutched tight to her mouth, she began to stagger back, only to come into contact with what felt like a wall. Turning round she could only scream, Mike towering over her with his gun clutched tightly at his side.

"Look what you gone made me do!" He snarled, grabbing her by the throat and turning her to look at the man who had tried to save her "His blood..." He continued to whisper into her ear "It's on your hands, Princess. That man is dead today because of you..."

...

Max felt helpless as he paced up and down the bullpen waiting. All he had been doing these days was waiting. Waiting for witnesses to come forward. Waiting for contact from the kidnappers. Waiting to make his move at the drop off, and now waiting for AFIS to get back to him with the results of the fucking fingerprints they had lifted from the coke can.

With a sigh, he collapsed into his desk chair, Conrad coming to sit in front of him as the older detective ran his hands over his face.

"Boss..." The rookie cop spoke softly "You ok?"

"...No, Conrad, I'm not..." Max sighed, looking up at him "This...This isn't going to end well...I mean, I had him! I had him right in my grasp, and I let him go!"

"Sir, you can't blame yourself for that." Conrad replied calmly "For starters, there's no solid evidence that that even was the guy."

"Oh, believe me..." Max gave a humourless chuckle "That was the guy..." He went silent, his brow furrowing slightly as memories of the days events flooded his mind "But...there was a girl there...She kissed him..."

Snapping up to look at the young cop, Max rummaged about his desk for his glasses.

"Did you get any photo's of the guy from where you were standing?" He asked, finding the offending object buried under and pile of papers "Pull any surveillance footage from the mall?"

"Uh...Actually..." Conrad began, getting up and heading for his desk "Got some surveillance from the corner store. Had a great view of the guy."

"Stick it in, will ya'..." Max began, sitting back in his seat as Conrad shoved the video into the TV that sat in the bullpen.

They sat in silence as they watched the small screen, Max's eyes glued to the image of their suspect as he casually made his way through the busy street. They watched as he came to a stop, peering into the trash can which held the money. But just before he could reach in, confirming the detectives suspicions, the little brunette who had been standing off to the side ran to him.

"Stop it there!" Max exclaimed, Conrad pausing the tape "...Hand me the picture of the Princess."

Reaching over to the desk and grabbing the picture of Rapunzel, the young cop handed it to Max, the smiling beauty staring up at him. Her big green eyes screaming innocence. He watched as his boss studied the picture, occasionally looking up to the small screen before tearing his glasses off.

"That's her!" He cried "That's the Princess!"

"You sure?" Conrad asked, grabbing the photo from his boss.

"Positive..." Max replied as his cell began to ring "Go inform the King and Queen." Pulling out his phone he flipped it open "They'll want some evidence that their little girl is alive...Guard..."

With a silent nod, Conrad quickly left. Scratching the back of his neck, Max sat back behind his desk, opening his computer inbox to find one new email.

"We got a hit!" Came the cheerful voice of Andy, the AFIS technician "Fingerprints came back to a Flynn Rider..."

"Rider, huh?" Max muttered "What's his convictions?"

"Mostly drug related..." Andy replied "Been in and out of prison for possession. Charged with assault about 7 years ago. Seems to be living under the radar for the past few years. Nothing on him from 2008. I've sent you through an email with his mugshot."

"Thanks, Andy. G'bye."

Hanging up, Max opened the email that sat in his inbox, and true to his word, Andy had sent him an attachment to Flynn Rider's convictions. With a deep breath, he opened it, all his doubts and fears fading away when the image of Flynn...the man that the Princess had threw herself at only hours before, stared back at him. It had all the information that he needed. His height. His weight...His address...

"Gotcha, you son-of-a-bitch..."  
...

A/N: Alright guys, hopefully you enjoyed this chapter. I know it was a bit short compared to some of the others, but I think it's best to leave it there :)


	15. Boom

Chapter Fifteen

Subtlety was the key. It was a term that Detective Max Guard wasn't overly familiar with, but deep down he knew that keeping things low key may be the only shot he had at getting the Princess back.

Conrad had wasted no time in alerting the King and Queen of the news. Relief and blinding fear both dancing in their eyes as they had taken in everything that was said. Their little girl had been taken by a convict. Held against her will by a man who had been known to have a violent streak in the past, and not only that, but seemed to be helping him. The King hadn't thought twice before demanding to be taken along to fetch his daughter.

Max had been adamant right from the beginning that that wasn't an option. Corrine too, if he was totally honest. The last thing he was needing was for yet another member of Corona's Royal Family to be put in harms way, but after very little deliberation, Fergus had put his foot down.

The journey to Flynn's house was spent mainly in silence, Fergus nervously glancing out the window as the streets they travelled down became more and more deprived. All Max could do was send up a silent prayer. He had never considered himself to have any sort of faith. Any belief he had in God died along with her, but as he thought back to the image of the Princess throwing herself at her kidnapper he felt something that he believed to be long gone.

Hope.

Conrad brought the car to a stop; parking a few houses down from the one in question. He was nervous. There was no denying it. There they were sitting outside the home of their probable kidnapper in and unmarked car with no back-up. The academy definitely hadn't prepared him for that. Turning to face his boss, he felt no comfort at the expression he faced. Max looked sick to his stomach, the little colour that he usually had completely gone.

"Boss..." He managed to stutter out, Max slowly turning to look at him "What's the plan?"

Clearing his throat a little, Max turned in his seat, Fergus leaning in between both from the back.

"We're just going to chap the door." Max informed leaving Conrad a little confused "Have a few words with him. We get any solid leads we come back to the car, call in back-up and take this son-of-a-bitch down."

"And what if he runs?" The young cop asked, Fergus snapping round to face Max as he realised it was a possibility.

"Well..." Max began, unbuckling his seatbelt "We were given guns for a reason."

With a shaky nod, Conrad followed Max's actions in unbuckling his belt, the idea of his gun being brought into play worrying him. In his short term in the force so far he had never had to draw his weapon, let alone fire it. The horror stories that he had heard from some of his colleagues could only send shivers up his spine.

"Wait!" Fergus cried, bringing Conrad back to the task at hand as the two officers opened their doors "What about me? I want to help. I can't just sit back and do nothing while you two 'chap the door'! That's my baby girl in there!"

"With all due respect, Your Highness..." Max began, turning once again to look at the distraught King "The best way for you to help us right now, is to just...stay here. Putting yourself at risk is not going to help your daughter in any way."

Not waiting for a reply, Max and Conrad stepped out of the car, quickly slamming their doors shut to block out the pained pleas of the King. Max could understand. He knew fine well why Fergus wanted to make himself useful. Why he wanted to help. He could just imagine the guilt that was running rampant throughout his body. The blame that he must be feeling at not being able to keep his little girl from harms way.

With a deep sigh he began to lead Conrad up the street, catching sight of Flynn's house straight away. The street as a whole wasn't much to look at. Over grown littered yards. Kids abandoning their toys and bikes in the middle of the streets as their crack addict mother's called them in for lunch. The Rider residence was one of the few houses that looked to be just that little bit better kept.

"What a dump..." Conrad murmured as he looked around "Can only imagine what's going through the Kings mind looking at this place. You really think we'll find her safe?"

"Only one way to find out." Max replied, pointing up the concrete stairs that led to Flynn's house "Up here."

Nodding, Conrad slowly followed Max up the stairs, the slabs shifting under his feet as they approached the blue paint chipped house.

"Just let me handle this one." Max began, knocking the door before turning back to the Rookie "Best thing to do in this situation is to make him feel as comfy as possible. No need to make him feel like he's being interrogated."

"Ok..." Conrad nodded, Max turning to bang the door once more.

But there was no answer. Stepping back, Max looked up at the house to see every window had their blinds drawn.

"Oh, don't tell me..." He muttered, banging the door that little bit harder "Mr Rider! This is Detective Maximus Guard and Officer Conrad Forest from the MPDC. We were just wondering if we could have a little chat with you."

But once again his rhythmic knocks were greeted with nothing but silence.

"Shit..." Max cursed, his hands flying to his hips as he turned to face Conrad "Son-of-a-bitch!"

With a defeated sigh, Conrad felt the hope that had been bubbling up within him slowly disappear. By the looks of it, the house had been empty for quite sometime. A large pile of mail visible through the frosted glass of the door. The Princess was never here to begin with.

Reluctantly, the two turned to leave, but it wasn't until they were half way down the rickety steps were they stopped in their tracks by the sound of a door opening and slamming shut.

So fast that Conrad was surprised he hadn't suffered whiplash, Max shot round to come face to face with a rather tall, rather large looking man stepping out from the house next door; his belly bouncing as he heaved out an unhealthy cough.

"You lookin' for Rider?" The man barked in between rasps.

"Yes!" Max practically cried, quickly making his way upstairs once again "Yes, we are. Have you any idea where he could be, Mr..."

"Parr." He replied, holding his hand out to shake the Detectives "Bob Parr."

Wincing slightly from the strong grip of the man, Max quickly returned the greeting.

"Hello, Mr. Parr." Max began "I'm Detective Maximus Guard and this here is Officer Conrad Forest. We're looking for Flynn Rider. We've traced him to this address."

With a slight nod, Bob crossed his arms over his chest; turning to look at the crumbling house to his right. The look of sadness which flashed in his eyes didn't go unnoticed by the Detective.

"I haven't seen him in a while." Bob sighed, scratching the back of his neck "The kids havin' a hell of a time with it just now. What with his brother bein' in hospital and all." Max could see hear pain in the man's voice "He's a good kid, Rider. Yeah he's had his troubles, we all have, but he's been doin' real good for the last couple of years, Detective. Helen, my wife, she even got him and his brother to watch the kids a few times...He's...He's not in some kind of trouble is he?"

Sighing, Max almost didn't want to confirm it, but with a slight nod he answered Bob's question.

"Yeah, he could be..." Max replied softly "We have reason to believe that Mr. Rider may be involved in the disappearance of The Princess of Corona, Mr. Parr..."

Bob felt like the wind had been knocked out of him, the words that Max had spoken taking their time to sink in. Not Flynn. Not the boy who he had watched claw his broken life back from the clutches of Death and Destruction, and piece back together.

"You said he had a brother in hospital..." Max carried on, pulling a pad and pen from his pocket "Do you know what's happening there?"

"Uh, yeah..." Bob replied with a nod "Yeah. Eugene Fitzherbert is his name. Adopted brother. He was admitted a couple of weeks ago with a brain tumour. Lookin' real bad as far as I know...Maybe Flynn has been spendin' all his time at the hospital. You could try there."

"That's great." Max mumbled, penning the information down before popping the pad back into his pocket "Thank you so much for your time Mr. Parr."

"No problem..." He nodded as the two officers began to make their way down the stairs once again, but no sooner were they at the bottom before Bob was calling out to them "Detective!" He cried, causing Max and Conrad to turn "I pray you're wrong about Flynn...He really is a good kid. But if he is behind it, then he'll have a reason for it. And if she is with him...then she'll be safe..."

Max forced a small smile, and with a soft nod accepted what Bob had said. The boy truly did sound like he was facing hard times, and much to Max's better judgement, he felt his heart soften towards him slightly.

"Thank you Mr. Parr..." He replied "I pray I'm wrong too..."  
...

Clawing and screaming, Rapunzel was forced back into the darkened house, Mike grabbing hold of her as she dragged her bloodied heels across the dusty ground. With as much force as she could muster up, she continued to pull. A desperate attempt to get away, but the more she pulled the tighter his grip got. Like a snake crippling it's pray. Stumbling, she fell to the ground, Mike grabbing hold of her hair and dragging her further into the old shack. By the time he let her go her legs were red raw; splinters from the rotting floorboards embedding themselves under her porcelain skin.

With tears blurring her vision she looked in the direction of Flynn, his broken body having been forced into a sitting position. Never in her life had she ever seen so much blood; the little man's from outside still covering her face and clothes seeming very little to the smears that covered the floor around her beloved. On shaky legs she stood, clambering over to Flynn before falling at his side.

"Oh my gosh, Flynn..." She gasped, brushing his sticky hair from his eyes before snapping round to face the two brothers "How could you do this to him!? He's your friend!"

"Friend!?" Scott scoffed as Mike let out a chuckle of disbelief "That's no friend. Friends don't screw their friends over all because of a stupid girl!"

Shifting in discomfort, Flynn clutched his side as he propped himself up against the coffee table, his eyes narrowing on Scott and Mike.

"I didn't screw you two over due to anyone." He rasped out, Rapunzel quickly turning to face him as Scott let out a menacing laugh "It's you two who've betrayed me. Betrayed Eugene! What, you just going to let him die? Rot away in a hospital bed as you kill me?"

"Ah, always knew you were smart Rider." Scott smirked, slowly making his way over to Flynn before crouching before him "You know what I'm goin' to do..." He whispered, pulling his gun from the waistband of his jeans and waving it slowly in front of Flynn, Rapunzel gasping slightly at the sight of it "I'm goin' to have my fun here. Cause some pain before putting a bullet into the back of your skull, and then...I'm goin' to take that lovely lady of yours and make off with her. Sound good?"

Scott could only smirk. A cold, evil smirk that caused the bile to rise in Rapunzel's throat. Cause the hairs on the back of her neck to stand upright. But she couldn't help but feel confused when Scott's smirk was replaced with the amused laughter of Flynn. Worried that he had taken a severe blow to the head, Rapunzel placed a hand on his shoulder, his laughter continuing to anger the men before them.

"Oh man..." Flynn finally spluttered out through his laughter "Now that's funny..."

"Flynn..." Rapunzel practically whispered "What's wrong? You're scaring me."

"Oh, sorry Honey." He replied, briefly looking at her before turning his attention back to Scott "It's just, this guy here...He couldn't even put a burrito together without the help of me, let alone a plan like this." Scott's nostrils flared in anger as Flynn's amused smirk set into a firm scowl "You really think you'll get away with it? Really? You really think you're smart enough for that, Scott?"

"Shut up..." Scott snarled, getting to his feet.

"You think you've got enough brains in that thick skull of yours to pull the wool over the law enforcements eyes?" Flynn carried on.

"Flynn, stop..." Rapunzel pleaded, glancing between him and the two brothers.

"I said shut up." Scott repeated, his fist tightening.

"Face it, man..." Flynn smirked once again "You're nothing but a brainless fucker who would need a map to find his own ass."

"SHUT UP!" Cried Scott, bending down and grabbing Flynn by his blood stained shirt "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!"

In a fit of rage, Scott pulled Flynn to his feet, Rapunzel letting out a scream of fear as she watched the burly man lay punches into her love once again, all before throwing him over the table. Flynn collided face first into the brother's sports bags which still littered the floors, the contents spilling out before him...And that's when he saw it. The small Swiss Army knife which once belonged to their Grandfather. The very Swiss Army knife that Scott had used to open their beer bottles the night they kidnapped his Princess.

With anger building up within herself, Rapunzel got to her feet, launching herself at Scott before banging her fists against his chest. At the distraction, Flynn grabbed the knife, quickly shoving it in his back pocket before turning over to look up at the scene before him. Feeling the burning pain in his side, Flynn gasped; Scott finally grabbing hold of Rapunzel and throwing her into Mike's waiting arms as he turned her to face the two men, once again grabbing hold of her throat to force her to watch.

"I told you to Shut up..." Scott said a little breathlessly before turning to look at Rapunzel "I told him." With his gun clutched even tighter in his hand he turned back to face Flynn, slowly lifting it and pointing it at him, Rapunzel's panicked cries fading off into the background "You brought this on yourself, Rider...One..."

"No, please!" Rapunzel cried, tears streaming down her face "Please!"

"Two..." Flynn could only back up a little, his gaze never leaving the barrel staring down at him "...Boom..."

And with that, Scott pulled the trigger...  
...

A/N: What an evil place to leave this chapter. Sorry guys lol. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Please leave a wee review to let me know what you all thought. Thanks :)

Guys, I've also made a 'Soundtrack' of sorts to go along with this story. Just songs that have helped and inspired me when writing this. Here they are :)

1\. Beautiful - Eminem  
2\. Bloodstream - Stateless  
3\. Howl - Florence and the Machine  
4\. Nicest Thing - Kate Nash  
5\. Calling All Angels (Remix) - Jane Siberry & K.D Lang  
6\. Flume - Peter Gabriel  
7\. What You Want - John Butler Trio  
8\. Bullet - Mat Kearney  
9\. Deliver Me - Sarah Brightman  
10\. Love More - Sharon Van Etten  
11\. Let Me Go - Avril Lavinge (Feat. Chad Kroeger)  
12\. Coming Toward - David Crowder* Band  
13\. Mad World - Gary Jules  
14\. How Did I Get Here - Kurt Farquhar


	16. Wait

Chapter Sixteen

It was Rapunzel's hysterical screams that snapped Scott back into the room; his breathing ragged as his arm fell limply to his side, the gun clutched loosely in his grip as he stared down at Flynn. A pool of crimson slowly spread out around him, Scott smiling at the sight as the blonde beauty continued to kick and scream, Mike's hold on her never slackening.

Writhing from the burning pain in his left shoulder, Flynn bit his lip to stifle his screams. He knew the sound would do nothing but spur Scott on, his sadistic eyes boring into him, daring him to make a sound. But he kept silent; the odd groan escaping past his lips as he struggled to pull himself to his knees.

Seeing him move, Rapunzel let out a shaky laugh, her body relaxing momentarily as her eyes met his. He was alive. His body torn and broken, but still, breath filled his worn lungs. With a hand pressed tightly over the open wound, Flynn struggled to hold the contents of his stomach down. The fire in his shoulder was tearing through him, Scott's smirk never faltering as he started to pace in front of him.

"Huh..." Flynn managed to force out through gritted teeth, his voice quivering slightly from the blinding pain "...Looks like you missed."

"Oh, I didn't miss, Pretty Boy." Scott scoffed, carefully shoving the gun back into the waistband of his jeans "Where would my fun be if it was quick?"

Spitting blood out at the feet of the burly man, Flynn glared up at him. He couldn't exactly describe what he was feeling at that moment. Anger. Hurt. Confusion. It was all a jumbled mess in his head. Since high school, Scott and Mike had always been like family to him and Eugene. Sure, they were volatile by nature, both being well acquainted with some of Washington's finest; but for Flynn, their friendship was something that he thought would stand above all that.

How wrong he had been.

"So what do you plan now, Scott?" Flynn struggled out. He wanted to kick himself for sounding so weak. His voice seeming that of a strangers as he continued to challenge the man before him.

Smirking, Scott grabbed Flynn by his blood stained white t-shirt and hauled him to his feet once again. Feeling tears burn the back of her eyes, Rapunzel wanted nothing more than to look away. The sight of Flynn trying to keep himself up, killing her. Until then, she didn't know that it was possible to feel your heart break.

"I'm goin' to make the rest of your short pathetic life a living hell." Scott snarled, pulling Flynn in closer until their faces were mere inches apart "By the end of the night you'll be begging for that bullet."

"We'll see who'll be holding the gun." Flynn spat back, his eyes never leaving Scott's.

With his jaw clenched, Scott turned to Mike, his grip on Flynn's t-shirt never slackening.

"Take her back up to the attic." He ordered, Mike smirking as he gave a blunt nod.

Turning his attention back to Flynn, Scott couldn't help but smirk at the sight before him. He was hiding it well, but he could see the fear running wild in the back of the wounded man's eyes. His piercing gaze never leaving the Princess's as her cries of protest began to fill the room once again. Biting back his smile, Scott watched Flynn physically gulp as Rapunzel was dragged screaming, out of the room. The silent promises of salvation hidden in his eyes not going unnoticed by the beast of a man.

As the sounds of her cries grew fainter and fainter, Scott grabbed Flynn by the hair at the back of his head and started to drag him out of the living room. Where he was being led, he didn't know, all Flynn knew was that if he was going to save Rapunzel and himself he was going to have to think fast. The Swiss Army Knife in his back pocket hadn't been forgotten, but he knew that if he stood a chance of escaping he was going to have to wait until the right moment came. That would be the moment where he would take it and plunge it as far as he could into Scott's fucking neck.

With gritted teeth he let Scott lead him to the side of the rickety staircase where there stood a door. Now, Flynn would be lying if he knew that the door had always been there. Touring the old shack when he had first arrived was the last thing on his 'To Do' list, but as Scott threw the door open to reveal a hidden darkened stairwell, he knew that a tour guide wasn't needed to escort him down to what he assumed to be an equally darkened basement.

Halting him with a forceful tug to the back of the head, Scott withdrew the gun from his waistband once again before replacing his tight hold with the cold metal barrel of his 9mm. Pressing it into his scalp, Flynn raised his hands slowly and began to lead the way down the dark staircase, his mind desperately wandering to what awaited Rapunzel upstairs.

Losing his footing on the last couple of stairs, Flynn fell to the ground, the sick sound of Scott's laughter filling the blackened room as he flipped the dim light on. As the room slowly began to brighten, Flynn let out a groan of pain before rolling onto his back to stare up at the low cracked ceiling. With a deep breath he braced himself for the fire in his shoulder to blaze once again as he went to sit up, but before he could Scott was towering over him, a heavy boot pressing into his chest as he stared down at him.

"It's kinda nice, y'know that?" He chuckled, tucking the gun into his jeans "Seein' you down there, crawlin' around in the dirt. Guy could get use to that."

"Fuck you!" Flynn spat out, his brows knitted together as he knocked Scott's foot from his chest, a loud gasp of air immediately being welcomed in.

Laughing, Scott bent once again to pick Flynn up from the ground before dragging him over to an old dinning chair that sat off to the side. Lowering him into it less than carefully, he grabbed the rope that had been left next to it, forced Flynn's arms behind his back and started to tie them together.

"It's great the stuff you find in an old basement, ain't it?" Scott smirked, looking up at Flynn as he pulled the binds tighter "Old furniture...rope..."

"Yeah, it's real fuckin' convenient." Flynn muttered, wincing slightly at the new angle his arm had been forced into.

Smirking, Scott grabbed the legs of the chair and hauled it out to the middle of the room, Flynn finding it more and more difficult to maintain that icy stare as he forced back the screams of pain that so wanted to burst forth.

"There..." Scott smiled, standing up straight to admire his 'handiwork', a look of pride evident in his black eyes "Ain't that a pretty sight?"

"What d'you want me to say?" Flynn asked, glaring up at him " You want me to say the generic 'You won't get away with this'?"

But instead of an answer, Flynn was greeted by the heavy thumping of Mike bounding down the staircase, a sinister smirk gracing his features as he silently greeted his proud brother. Never taking his eyes of the duo, Flynn felt his stomach lurch, the battered red gas canister in Mike's hand not going unnoticed by him. Feeling the bile rise in his throat, he forced himself to keep his fear at bay. And he was frightened. He couldn't remember being more scared in his life. He was going to die. His brother was going to die, and Rapunzel...for all he knew she could be gone already.

………

He hated hospitals. As long as he could remember, he had always hated them. The smell. The sterile walls. The death...For Max it all reminded him of her. But as he quickly made his way through the lifeless hallways towards Eugene Fitzherbert's room, he was forced to push all memories of her to the back of his mind. He could only wish that they would stay there.

Pushing through the large double doors leading into the ICU, Max, Conrad and Fergus were immediately stopped by a rather petite, rather pissed looking Chinese nurse. Her long dark hair scraped back into a tight bun that sat on top of her head. Ignoring her demands to stop, the three men shot past her, Max soon locating Eugene's room.

"Hey!" Came the shrill voice of the little nurse as she followed the three men "You can not go in there."

"Take it up with the State." Max replied, halting her as he flashed his badge before entering the quiet room.

The sight of Eugene Fitzherbert lying in the small bed, hooked up to all sorts of machines was enough to bring a tear to anyone's eye. His body so weak and frail, to Max it was like staring down at a sleeping child. With the urgency leaving the room, Conrad quietly shut the door before taking his post beside the King. With gentleness in his steps, Max slowly approached the bed, the constant beeping from the machines filling the deafening silence.

"Mr. Fitzherbert..." Max called out softly, Eugene never wakening "Mr. Fitzherbert..."

Taking a seat by the bed, Max watched as Eugene let out a strangled groan, his heavy eyes slowly opening to look up at the ageing detective. Coming face to face with dying man, Max could feel a lump rising in his throat; the confusion in the young man's greying eyes causing his heart to thump wildly in his chest.

"Mr. Fitzherbert..." Max began, Eugene slowly shifting in his bed to face him "Hi there...My name is Max Guard, I'm a detective working with the MPDC." Turning he motioned towards the two men standing off to the side "This here is my colleague, Officer Conrad Forest and beside him is His Royal Highness, King Fergus of Corona..."

At the mention of the King, Eugene attempted to sit up a little straighter, his confusion now evident to everyone. What the hell was a King doing in his hospital room, anyway?

"Mr. Fitzherbert, I'm here regarding your brother, Flynn Rider..." With a gentle nod, Eugene turned his attention back to the detective "I was just wondering if you could answer a few questions for me? If you feel pressured at any time we can stop."

"Ok..." Eugene finally croaked out, his throat a little dry "Is he alright?"

"Actually, Mr. Fitzherbert..." Max carried on with a small sigh "We have reason to believe that he is behind the disappearance of Rapunzel, Princess of Corona."

Eugene felt like the wind had been kicked out of him, the room beginning to spin as he tried to process that one statement. Flynn? Flynn would never be able to commit such a crime. He'd spent too long trying to piece his broken life back together, just to tear it apart again.

"I know this is a lot to take in, and I apologize..." Max spoke softly, cutting into his thoughts "But can you remember the last time you saw your brother?"

"Uh..." Eugene slurred, his eyes screwing up as he tried to focus on the matter at hand "I...I saw him a couple of days ago. He came by to visit me."

Pulling out a notepad and pen, Max quickly jotted down the information before snapping his attention back to the young man.

"And how did he seem?" He asked, the urgency within him returning full force "Was he acting strange at all? Different from usual?"

"He was quieter, I guess." Eugene replied with a slight shrug of the shoulders "But, I can understand why with me being in here and all."

"Of course." Max agreed with a sad smile before turning his attention back to the notepad "Mr. Fitzherbert, we went by your home in search of your brother, and he wasn't there. Your neighbour, Mr. Parr, said he hadn't seen him in a while. Do you have any idea where he could be?"

Eugene went quiet once again as he tried to think of all the places where his brother could be. Once upon a time it was quite natural for Flynn to disappear for days on end, Eugene never knowing where he would wander off to, but as time went on and Flynn sorted his life out, those little 'Vanishing Acts' seemed to be a thing of the past.

"Umm..." He muttered, clicking his tongue slightly as he thought of all the possibilities "The only thing that I can really think of is that he could be with his friends. Scott and Mike Stabbington. They're very close."

Again, Max wasted no time in writing down the information, the excitement building up within him. Getting the address to the Stabbington Brother's home, Max stood to leave, not wanting to take up any more of the short time that Eugene may have; but for the first time in what felt like forever, he felt hope. Like things were finally starting to move for them. With a final 'thank you' and 'goodbye' he headed for the door, Conrad and Fergus leading the way out, but before he could go any further the weak call from Eugene stopped him in his tracks.

"Detective..." He heard faintly, turning slowly to look at the young man "Flynn did say that...that he'd have the money for my surgery really really soon...Without the surgery I'm a goner, but unfortunately for us our insurance doesn't cover it."

"...How much is the operation?" Max asked softly, a wave of sadness washing over him at the sight of Eugene's helplessness.

"$250,000..." He replied, his voice broken "...I'm not holding my breath for it."

Hearing the figure, Max finally managed to put the pieces together as realization hit him. It was no coincidence that the ransom for the Princess's return was the exact amount needed for Eugene's lifesaving surgery. The Princess hadn't been taken to bring harm to her and her family. She had been taken to save him...And now that chance was gone.

"...Never say never, Mr. Fitzherbert." Max said, not really knowing how to reply "Crazier things have happened..."  
………

The room spun as Mike's fist connected with the Flynn's gut for what felt like the thousandth time that night; the contents of his stomach threatening to reappear. Once Scott had grown tired of throwing his punches, he had urged his overly eager brother to take a turn while he sat back and watched.

How much longer they were going to carry on like this, Flynn didn't know. Probably until he was begging them to put him out of his misery. But every time he felt the sharp pain in his ribs, or the roaring fire in his shoulder, he did the only thing he could think of at that moment that would get him through. He thought of her. Her smile. Her eyes. Her selflessness. There was so much about Rapunzel that Flynn had fallen in love with over the short space of time. He only hoped he got to tell her that one last time.

"Enough!" Came the bellow from Scott as Mike raised his fist once again, his breathing erratic as he tried to contain himself "Enough Mikey..."

Getting up from his seat on the steps, Scott slowly stalked towards Flynn, his broken body heaving as he tried to breath without too much pain. He watched as Scott pulled a cigarette from his pocket, lighting it before blowing a cloud of smoke into his bloody face. Crouching before him, he smirked before taking another draw.

"How you feelin', Rider?" He smiled, Flynn glaring back at him with as much hatred as he could muster up "You ready for that bullet yet?"

"...That all you boys got?" Flynn forced out, a lazy smirk tugging at his lips "I'm just gettin' comfy..."

With a nod of the head, Scott motioned Mike to bring over the gas canister, his gaze never leaving Flynn's as he blew another cloud of smoke out.

"You wantin' a smoke?" Scott asked Flynn, standing up.

"Nah, I'm good." Came his reply.

"Ok..." Scott smirked, holding his own between his stubby thumb and fore-finger "Hey, could you hold this for me?"

Without batting an eyelid, Scott stubbed his cigarette out on Flynn's thigh, an unwanted scream tumbling out from his split lips.

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" He bellowed, his chair rattling as the pain coursed through his leg.

"Careful..." Scott chuckled "Burn's like a bitch."

Groaning, Flynn tried to compose himself once again. He wanted to give up. Wanted nothing more in the whole world than to succumb to eternal rest. But he knew that wasn't an option. Instead he watched as Scott opened up the gas canister, smirking as he walked round him, pouring the pungent liquid out as he went. Feeling the fear crawl up within him once again, Flynn found it increasingly difficult to remain stony faced as he felt the liquid run down the back of his neck, Scott carrying on emptying the gas out over him.

"You know I've heard it said..." He began, pulling a box of matches from his pocket "That psychological fear is the most terrifying. One person in control of another person's fate...the possibilities are endless on the torture you could put them through..."

Pulling a match from the box, Flynn could feel his heart rate increase.

"You could batter them until they puke..." Scott chuckled, tapping the match against the box "You could quickly put a gun to the back of their head and blow them away without a second thought...Or..." Striking the match, Flynn could feel his breathing quickening "You could play with their mind a little..."

Holding the match out in front of him, Scott's sadistic smile grew at the fear behind Flynn's hazel eyes. In two seconds he could put him out of his misery, dropping the match and walking away into the night with his brother and Princess in tow.

"I've got the control Rider..." He spoke barely above a whisper "The question is, what do I do with it?"

Flynn watched as the gentle flame burned further and further down the stick, the thought of something so tiny having the power to be his end, terrifying him. With another smirk pulling at his lips, he watched as Scott once again knelt before him, the fast burning match still held tightly between his fingers.

"I think..." He drawled out, looking between the match and Flynn "I do what will bring me more amusement in the end..."

Blowing out the match, he stood once again.

"I wait..."  
………

A/N: Well guys, I don't know if it's because it's late, or if it's because I've reread this chapter like a zillion times, but I really am not too thrilled with it at all. Hopefully you all enjoyed it though. The story's probably got at maximum of 3 more chapters left (boo). Please leave a wee review to let me know if you loved it, hated it or felt...meh... lol

Thanks guys. You're the best :) xxx


	17. Killed

A/N: Hi guys. I'm really sorry for the delay in updates (Again). I have posted a couple of one-shots for the Walking Dead recently, but in truthfulness I've been struggling in updating all my stories. I've not been too well recently. Hospitals and all that jazz. But I am convinced that one of the doctors I met is going to be my husband (He just doesn't know it yet) :-)

Also guys, another reason why the updates have been so infrequent recently; you may remember me saying a few chapters ago that I was from Scotland. Well, if you don't already know (But I'm sure many of you will), Scotland has been spending the last two years trying to gain it's independence from the UK. I personally was out campaigning quite a bit for independence, but unfortunately it wasn't to be (This time). Totally devastated.

But thank you all so much for the reviews/alerts/favourites and just for taking the time to read this story. Very much appreciate it :)

………

Chapter Seventeen

One action could change a life forever. Be it your own or someone else's. It had been the 22 years on the force that had taught him that. 22 years which had taught him that life was far too short and far too cruel to waste time on the minor things. The things that could all be sorted at the end of the day. Things like abiding by legal speed limits as he powered through the busy streets of Washington towards The Stabbington household.

With knuckles turning white as his grip on the steering wheel tightened, Max could do nothing but send up a silent prayer that he wasn't too late. That getting caught behind the sea of cyclists a few blocks back hadn't been the difference between finding Rapunzel safe and well or in eternal rest. Glancing out of the corner of his eye, he couldn't stop his heart from lurching at the sight of Fergus anxiously biting on his thumb nail, his knee bouncing rapidly as he focused his gaze out to the road in front of him.

"We're going to find her." Max affirmed, the car swiftly turning a corner "I promise you, we're getting her back."

Unable to speak, Fergus could only nod; a soft squeeze to the shoulder from Conrad sitting in the back, bringing him a small sense of comfort. He'd be lying if he said he didn't trust the two officers. Right from the beginning he had been impressed with Max's determination. His need and want to bring Rapunzel home safely, and not just from a professional level. Glancing over at the ageing detective, Fergus felt the pain radiate off of him. He suspected that Max's drive to find his daughter ran deeper than he let on. That the whole event had caused something deep to rise up within him. Something that he had been desperately trying to bury and keep hidden for far too long. He could only pray that one day the detective would find peace.

Turning into another corner, Fergus was snapped out of his thoughts when Max slammed his foot on the brake, bringing the car to an abrupt halt outside an equally run down and tired looking house as that of Flynn Rider's.

The street itself was relatively quiet, large overgrown hedges between each garden blocking out any prying neighbours views. A blessing or a curse, Max wasn't too sure. Wasting no time, and with a command for His Highness to stay where he was, Max and Conrad quickly made their way up the cracked wobbly concrete steps towards the rotting house. Much like the Rider residence, the paintwork was slowly chipping away; small flecks of green and red lying in amongst the weed riddled flowerbeds. But at that moment, Max wasn't interested in the slightest in what the place looked like. He couldn't care less if he found the Princess in a hut or a mansion, just as long as he found her.

"Quick questions." Max informed the young officer as he pulled out his pen and notebook "No dilly dallying. I want in that house as soon as possible."

"But sir..." Conrad began, halting the older detective as he went to bang on the door "Shouldn't we call for back-up?"

"We may not have the time." Max replied "Waiting can get you killed. They already know that every cop in the city will be hunting for them after the failed drop off. We'll get the answers we need then call them in."

With his stomach dropping, Conrad gave a shaky nod. He didn't have a good feeling about his superiors plan at all. Going into a potential dangerous situation without back-up went against everything he was taught at the academy, but before he could open his mouth in protest again, Max was banging away furiously on the door.

"I'm comin', I'm comin'!" Came the angry call of a woman.

At the sound of deadbolts being released and chains jangling, Max could feel the agitation threaten to burst out, his usual cool demeanour a thing of the past. Holding his breath he couldn't help but bounce slightly on the balls of his feet as the door swung open to reveal a rather pissed looking woman, her wild black hair scraped up into a messy bun on top of her head. Max could tell just by looking at her that she was a lady who spent time chasing after her youth. There was no doubt in his mind that she was probably very beautiful back in her younger days; her high cheekbones and wide blue eyes an enviable feature by most.

But she wasn't the one who he was looking for.

"Can I help you?" She tutted, a hand flying to her popped hip, her fingers drumming against the red velvet of her sweat pants.

"I'm Detective Maximus Guard." Max began, his patience already wearing thin "This is my colleague, Officer Conrad Forest. I'm looking for a Scott and Michael Stabbington, or even Flynn Rider, if possible. Are any of them here, Ms..."

"Gothel." The woman finished for him, opening the door a little wider as her brows knitted together is distrust "Can I ask what this is about, Detective?"

Max couldn't stop the annoyance bubbling up within him at the woman's arrogance.

"I'm sorry ma'am." Was the Detective's reply "I can't disclose that information until you tell me if they are here or not, and how you are connected to the two."

"I'm their mother." She muttered crossing her arms over her chest as she leaned against the door "...And to answer your previous question, no. They're not here. Haven't seen or heard from them for a few days, and as for Flynn. I haven't seen the boy in weeks...Now can you tell me what this is regarding?"

With a hidden roll of the eyes, Max looked down to his note pad. All hope he had felt igniting within him was quickly snuffed out. A feeling he was never going to get used to, he was sure.

"We are looking for Mr Rider." Came his vague answer "We're needing to ask him a few questions and we were informed that he may be with your sons."

"Well, like I said." She carried on, waving a hand over her shoulder "They're not here." With a sigh, Max gave a soft nod. Ready to say his 'thank you' and 'goodbye' "But..." Gothel continued, the old detective snapping up to look at her "They have been spending a lot of time at their Grandfather's house in Dickerson. He died, leaving the house. It's where the boys like to spend some 'quiet time'...Maybe you'll find Flynn there."

Wanting to pinch himself to see if he was dreaming or not, Max quickly demanded the address of the Grandfather's property before giving a nod of thanks and pulling Conrad back towards the car.

"Call the office!" Max exclaimed as they climbed into the car, Fergus immediately sitting up at the urgency behind the detectives words "Give the address and ask for that back-up! We're going to get these assholes!"  
………

He couldn't keep the grin off his face as he haphazardly stuffed their belongings into the worn out duffel. Glancing over at Mike, Scott nodded for him to start emptying the chest of drawers, all the while grabbing the camera and stuffing it into the bag. Running a hand through his hair, he looked around the room to see if there was anything that he missed. Not long, and they would be on the road.

"You get everythin'?" Scott mumbled, slinging his duffel onto his broad shoulder as Mike finished filling his own bag.

Nodding, a small smirk broke out across Mike's face, his fist clenching tightly around the handle of his own duffel in excitement.

"Well then, let's go get our Princess."

Stalking out of the room, Scott and Mike slowly trudged up the old rickety staircase; each step they took a thundering reminder to the young girl in the attic that it was no dream that she was living in. That hell had broken loose on her life. Sharing one last smile, Scott wasted no time kicking the door open, a small gasp escaping past Rapunzel's lips.

Sitting in the corner, knees pulled close to her chest and hands tied tightly behind her back, Rapunzel tried her hardest to fight back the tears that were threatening to fall. They got off on fear; the sick bastards who had changed her life in so many ways, and she'd be damned if she was going to feed their lust. With toes curling she followed the two brothers with her eyes as they thumped slowly into the room, their grins dripping with malice.

"Hope you're ready for a road trip, Sunshine." Scott spoke, finding a perch on the end of the bed across from her.

"Where is he?" Came Rapunzel's reply, her teeth clenched as she fought to maintain her calm "What did you do to him?"

With a slight chuckle, Scott looked to his brother, their mirrored grins causing the hair on the back of her neck to stand on end.

"He, uh..." Scott said, turning his attention back to her as he scratched the back of his neck "He's currently a little 'indisposed'..."

"And what the hell does that mean?" She growled, her eyes darkening with anger.

"Dead." Mike answered.

Feeling fresh tears burn the back of her eyes, Rapunzel never broke her gaze with the monster sitting before her. She wasn't going to let him see her collapse. She wasn't going to give him that control. The only thing that would weep in his presence were the tiny cuts on her hands from where her nails had dug in.

"Must make you feel like a real man." She spat out "So what now? Hmm?"

"Now..." Scott began, standing from his seat on the bed "We're burnin' this place down and gettin' the hell out of here. Sound good to you Princess?"

"...I can hardly wait."

………

It was the fire in his shoulder that reminded him he was still alive. The pounding in his ribs had soften to a dull throb, and the small burn to his thigh from the cigarette had quickly become masked from the stench of petrol invading his nose. But as much as his body was becoming accustomed to the pain, the weakness that he felt was unlike anything he had ever experienced in his life.

He wasn't shy to physical attacks. Growing up with a dad like his, in their household, it was just another Friday night. With the lifestyle he once led, getting a beating or giving a beating happened all too often. He couldn't be certain, but he was starting to believe that all those nights of agony over the years was just God's way of preparing him for that moment. Preparing his body for what he was surprised hadn't killed him already. But the weakness was something else entirely. With head hung low, Flynn couldn't deny that he wanted nothing more than to give up. Wanted nothing more than to close his eyes and step into the light. Into peace. But the thought of leaving her here in the world that he had dropped her into, he knew that death wasn't an option at that moment. So instead, he tried to pull.

As the pain from the bullet wound ripped through his arm, Flynn couldn't stop the cry from bursting forth. A loud growl from within his chest. Tried as he might, he tugged at the bonds round his wrists; the rope cutting deeper and deeper into his flesh, but not once did they slacken. With a strangled cry he slumped forward again, his hair drying to the blood on his forehead. It was no use trying to fight the inevitable. They had won...or at least that's what he thought before his mind began to drift back to the scuffle from before in the living room.

Snapping up, Flynn looked over his shoulder catching the briefest glimpse of the Swiss Army Knife in his back pocket. Ignoring the pain and stretching in his shoulder, his fingers absently reached out and brushed against it. He had always been good with his hands; a trait which he hadn't used for much good in the past, but the second he wedged the knife between his middle finger and index, he was happy enough to send up a silent prayer of thanks.

Gingerly, he pulled the knife from his pocket. Sweat and blood slowly crept into his eyes as he focused all his attention on not dropping it, the thought of it slipping from his fingers sent a shiver up his spine. But soon it was in his hand, and he could breath a sigh of relief as he felt for the blade. With wrist bent upwards, and knife held tightly in between his clammy palms, Flynn quickly began to slide the weapon up and down against the fibres of his bonds, his gaze never leaving the stairwell before him.

"Don't come down here..." Was his chant as one by one the layers of rope began to snap away "Don't fucking come down here..."

Grunting from the pain in his shoulder, Flynn pushed back the tears as the rope finally gave way and fell to the floor behind him. Wasting no time, he got to his feet, the sudden movement knocking him slightly as he fought to regain his balance. But with all the strength he could muster, he staggered towards the many boxes that filled the room. Flynn figured that after Scott and Mike's Grandfather had passed, most of his stuff had been boxed and hidden away until they had the time to go through it all, so he was positive that there had to be something within all the crap that he could use.

Knocking them over, he furiously began to tear at the tape on each box, his heart pounding away in his chest, promising to break out at any moment. But all he found was old newspapers and magazines. With his anger building up he moved from box to box, kicking and ripping apart as many as he could until he came across something of use. Clothes, trophies, video tapes. The place was quickly becoming a sea of junk, but as he reached for the sixth box, he couldn't help but smile at what he found.

"Thank you Louis!" He cried, pulling out the old Louisville Slugger from the box and kissing it appreciatively "Let's go and put an end to this now."  
………

The usual hour long drive had taken them less than forty minutes, a new record, Max was sure. By the time they had arrived outside the run down shack, the sun had finished setting leaving the sky black and littered with stars. Any other night he would have stopped to stare up at it's beauty. Something he did long ago with her. But tonight he couldn't. Tonight he was entering into what he could only describe as a battle ground. Killing the engine, the three men stared up at the decaying home. The placed looked as if no one had set foot in it in years, but Max knew differently. The battered tuck sitting outside proving that.

"Is this the place?" Fergus asked, gulping slightly "Is this where they've been keeping my little girl."

"I think so..." Max nodded, looking round in his seat, only to have his attention caught by a truck sitting in the middle of the road up ahead "Hold on a sec..."

Getting out the truck and with gun drawn, Max jogged up towards the old Chevy that lay abandoned on the road; Conrad and Fergus (much to his annoyance) following closely behind. Pulling out his flashlight, Max shone the beam round the vehicle, a feeling of dread tugging at his stomach when he found the body of an old man lying at the side. A large bullet wound covering the side of his head.

"Ah, shit!" He spat out, motioning for the two men to stay where they were "We got a body over here."

"What!?" Fergus cried, straining to see past the young officer "A body? Is it Rapunzel!?"

"No." Max answered, pulling his phone out to call it in "An old man...But you can bet your ass that the guys who took her killed him too. These men are obviously armed and dangerous." Looking to Conrad he gave his orders "No one goes in that house until back-up arrives."

The young officer could only nod.

"But what about my daughter!?" Fergus exclaimed, stepping forward "They have her in there! Where's that eagerness from earlier gone!?"

"Earlier we didn't know that these men were murderers!" Max cried, turning his attention away from his cell "We knew that they were kidnappers with a gun, but we didn't know they were capable of using it! Most people would have killed their hostages by now! We can't risk going in there with all guns blazing! We do that, then they'll most likely kill her on the spot!"

"You can't ask me to just stand out here and wait, Detective." Fergus spoke through gritted teeth as Max and Conrad turned and began to lead the way back to the car.

"For your daughter's sake you have to, Your Majesty." Max replied over his shoulder "Right now she needs you more than ever."

But all that was, was silence.

Panicked, Max turned back to face the King; but where he once stood was now nothing but emptiness. Snapping round to see if he had simply moved, Max only came face to face with an equally puzzled Conrad.

"What the hell..." He muttered "Where..."

"Sir!" Conrad cut in, pointing in the direction of the shack "There!"

Turning in the direction that the officer pointed in, Max watched as Fergus quickly ran towards the old house before quietly disappearing inside.

"Shit!" He gasped "Call the office and find out when back-up should arrive! Tell them what's happened!"

"But Sir..." Conrad called as Max took off in a jog "What about you? What are you going to do?"

"...Try and not get killed."  
………

A/N: Well guys, I hope you all enjoyed that chapter, and the w


	18. Hurt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this chapter while listening to David Crowder*Band's 'Coming Towards' (on repeat lol) and Johnny Cash's 'Hurt'. I personally recommend listening to them while reading. Really sets the scene ;-)

Breathe. In and out. In and out. His breathing was the only thing he could hear when he slowly crept into the darkened house, his gun raised high as he scanned the hallway for any sign of the King. But all he could see was the night. With a quick glance behind him, Max stepped further into the shack, the old floor boards creaking under his weight as he moved towards a large open doorway that lead into what seemed to be a living area. He couldn't remember a time where had felt fear like he did then. The hairs on the back of his neck standing on end at the silence.

Pulling his flashlight out, Max slowly shone the beam across the room, the emptiness causing a wave of nausea to wash over him. There was no sign of the King anywhere. If he hadn't seen him running in with his own eyes, he would never even have suspected him to be inside. Backing out of the room slowly, he lowered his flashlight, his grip on his gun tightening when he heard the familiar sound of the floor boards creaking behind him. Snapping round, he raised his gun, anger dancing behind his eyes. But instead of coming face to face with Rider or the Stabbington's, Max was greeted by none other than a very startled Conrad, his arms held high in defence.

"It's only me..." Whispered the young officer "Back-up's on their way. Said 20 minutes tops ." Lowering his gun, Max quietly slid up beside Conrad, his gaze frantically searching round the room "Did you find the King?"

"Not yet." Max whispered in reply "My bet's are he's upstairs. The place seems empty, but I'm guessing that somewhere in this dump is the Princess...We just have to find her before those assholes find him."  
…

He had thought that the groaning stairs would have given him away. The minute he had stepped into the house and seen nothing but black, Fergus had taken it as a sign that his daughter was somewhere up above. He knew that Max was probably pissed beyond belief, but he couldn't hold back. He couldn't stop himself from running in, knowing that his daughter was only a few yards away. For him, the last few days had all merged into one long cloudy spell of misery. He was ready for clarity to return.

He had crept into the nearest room once he had reached the top landing. Like the rest of the house, the place had been in darkness, the only light coming from the moon beams filtering in through the broken blinds.

"Rapunzel..." He had quietly called out "It's Daddy..."

But he was only greeted with silence. With the small spark of hope dying a little, Fergus had began to search through the room, quietly ripping back the bed sheets in hopes that she was buried underneath them. Once they were gone he had found himself crouching on the ground looking under the bed, but again, there was nothing. It wasn't until he stood did he hear the blood curdling sound coming from up above. The heavy thumping sounds of footsteps thundering about rapidly. At the sound of the raging voices, Fergus quickly made his way behind the door, the sound of banging causing the panic to build up within him. Peering out from the small gap in the open door, he could only pray.  
…

They had put the first groan down to the gentle breeze from outside. The old house creaking against the wind. Neither had thought too much of it. Rapunzel hadn't been able to stop the hope from building up within her when the two brothers had suddenly gone still, their ears perking up in wonder. When they had went back to their smirking and taunting, the tears had threatened to fall. But as Scott had bent to grab her, his dirty blood stained hands grabbing hold of her bounds to pull her up, they stopped once again.

"...There's someone downstairs!" Scott had bellowed when realization had hit.

Staring at each other, their jaws had clenched, Scott letting out a loud growl as he threw her to the bed before grabbing his brother and hauling him to the door.

"Someone's goin' to fuckin' die tonight."

Only when they left the attic, bounding down the stairs like a wild heard, did Rapunzel finally cry. She cried for her freedom. She cried for the fate of whoever had stumbled upon their location, but most of all, she cried for her love. She cried for Flynn.  
…

Fergus had only been able to shrink back at the sight of the two burly men storming out from the door across from the bedroom he was hiding in, the anger and hatred painted on their faces causing his stomach to churn. He didn't want to think of his baby being trapped with them. He didn't want to imagine the fear that she must have been living with. At the sight of the dried blood coating their hands he wanted to puke. He wanted to cry. All his life he had been taught that to be a king you had to be brave. At that moment, he couldn't remember feeling any more scared.

"You head down stairs Mikey." One of the men commanded, malice dripping from his quietened voice "Whoever it is, I want you to snap their fuckin' necks. I'll check the rooms up here."

With a nod, 'Mikey' began his descent down the stairs, the other thug turning and disappearing into the room next to the one he hid away in. Knowing that he had to move quickly, Fergus quietly stepped out from behind the door, peered round the corner to make sure he was out of sight before taking his chance and heading up the stairwell that led to the attic. It had seemed the longest journey of his life.

The minute he finally reached the small room, the moonlight illuminating the chaos around him, he burst into tears. She sat cowered on the bed, her body heaving with her own sobs as she pulled her knees tightly into her chest.

"Rapunzel..." He choked out.

With a gasp, she snapped round to face him, the look of relief, pain and fear dancing in her eyes doing nothing but breaking his heart.

"Daddy!" She cried out "Daddy, you found me! You found me!"

Breaking down again, Rapunzel struggled to sit up, Fergus quickly moving to her side to help her.

"We don't have much time." He whispered, glancing over his shoulder as he tried to free his daughters wrists "But helps on the way. This is all going to be over soon."  
…

It had come out of nowhere. The sudden whack to the back of Conrad's head as Max had ushered him to wait outside for back-up. The young officer let out a groan of pain, his body writhing before he passed out. Confused, Max hadn't really known what had happened at first as his partner fell at his feet. Not until he looked up to see the disgusting smirk of Mike Stabbington staring back at him. With gun raised, he took his stance; only for Mike to knock the weapon from his hands and stalk towards him.

Unarmed and out of options, Max began to crouch away from the towering giant, his gaze moving frantically between the brute and his wounded officer. He felt the end drawing closer as his back hit the wall behind him, Mike letting out an evil chuckle before firing his fist into his stomach.

With pain overcoming him, Max doubled over; an overwhelming desire to throw up taking hold. Stumbling backwards, he clutched at his stomach, his coughs and splutters short lived as Mike threw another punch to the side of his face. It took two more for him to fall to the ground, Mike's feet joining in on the attack. With blood flowing from his head into his eyes, Max spotted his gun lying off to the side. Trying to force himself up, he began on his crawl towards it, but not before Mike's foot found comfort in the side of his ribs once again.

Crying out in agony, Max collapsed against the wall, any fight left in him quickly fading away. Staring up at the monster before him, he awaited his fate; panic and excitement at war with each other. He could admit he was afraid of the unknown, but he knew that when his life ended that night, he'd be back with her. Mike's grin only grew at the sight of the broken detective, his hands ready to wrap round his neck. But just as he went to reach for his pray, there was a whack to the back his head, an agonising burning rocketing throughout his body.

Max didn't know if it was by chance or if she had been looking out for him, but as he watched Mike fall to the ground in a heap, Flynn Rider standing over him with the old Louisville Slugger raised high, he couldn't help but cry out. Dropping the bat, Flynn slowly staggered towards him. By the looks of the boy, Max was surprised that he was still breathing.

"You ok?" Flynn panted out, helping the old detective sit up.

With a broken nod, Max absently fumbled at his waist, his fingers brushing against the cool metal of his cuffs.

"Take them..." He croaked out, blood dripping from his mouth as he handed them over to Flynn "Cuff him to the banister."

Taking the handcuffs, Flynn grabbed hold of Mike's wrists and dragged him over to the bottom of the stairs, the pain in his shoulder almost crippling. Wasting no time he quickly cuffed him before limping back over to Max.

"Is he upstairs?" He asked, all thoughts of Scott bringing his blood to the boil.

"Yeah..." Max replied breathlessly "...The King...The King's in the house...Find him..."

Nodding, Flynn began for the stairs, but before he could go any further, the weak voice of Max called out to him.

"Rider..." He gasped, nodding to the corner in front of him "My gun...take it..." Grabbing the gun, Flynn looked at the detective solemnly, his grip on the weapon tightening "Go finish this."  
…

Both bedrooms had been empty, Scott's quick task of upturning them proving that. With a growl erupting from deep in his chest, he thundered out of the second bedroom, his lips turning up into a smirk at the thought of the asshole who tried to foil their plan falling victim to the wrath of Mike. He knew his brother could handle himself. He didn't have to worry there.

With one final glance over his shoulder, Scott began his journey back up to the Princess. Grab her and go, that was his plan now. He'd get Mikey downstairs, set the place alight, and they'd be gone. Rider not even a memory to them or anyone else. No one would look for them, no one would care about him and she'd be deemed lost in the fire. The plan was so perfect it would go down in history. But climbing the stairs, the calm that Scott felt quickly vanished. Once reaching the top, he found himself only able to roar, the sight of The King helping his daughter causing him to see red. Without hesitating he lunged, knocking Rapunzel to the side as he wrestled her father to the floor.

"Stop!" Came her ear piercing scream "Stop! Stop it! Get off him!"

But he didn't. He wouldn't. As The King tried to scramble away, Scott grabbed hold of him and dragged him back over. Crouching over him, he laid one punch after another into him, his weight keeping him pinned to the ground. Tugging at her near freed hands, Rapunzel could only scream.

…

He had been too late to help Conrad. He'd almost been too late to help Max, but he'd make sure he wasn't too late to help her.

With the pain becoming unbearable, Flynn slowly climbed the stairs, the sounds of Max's whispered voice trying to wake his friend behind him. It wasn't until he reached the top landing did he hear her voice cry out. A sound which brought him joy and pain all at once. But she was alive. He could only thank God that she was still alive.

"Stop! Stop! Stop it! Get off him!" Had been her plea.

Looking down at the gun in his hand, Flynn fought to find breath to climb the stairs leading to the attic.  
…

One punch...Two punch...Without mercy, Scott continued to lay into her Father, the sound of his gurgled gasps and howls of agony causing her to scream out. Glancing over her shoulder she began to tug with all her might, the rope cutting into her wrists leaving them bruised and bloody. But she didn't care. She had to do something. She had to save him. With a growl, she pulled and tugged, the sight of her Father's body being slammed off the ground shaking her slightly.

"Thought you'd get away with it, huh!?" Scott cried, lifting him up by the front of his shirt to whack him again "Thought you'd save her!?" Another punch. Another groan "No one's gettin' out of this one!"

She didn't bother holding her tears back. She just continued to pull, her anger and fear bringing on a strength she didn't know she had. With one final cry she tore at the bonds one last time before they came apart. Freed, she wasted no time launching herself at the man.

"I said get off of him!" She cried out, jumping onto his back and hitting him over the head.

With fist mid air, Scott grunted at the sudden weight of the girl, his anger boiling over as he turned and knocked her off of him. A swift punch to the side of the face. Falling backwards, Rapunzel hit the ground, the room spinning as she watched the monster turn on her Father one more time. Struggling to pull herself up, she watched, pleaded, as Scott got to his feet. She watched as he slowly reached round behind him and pulled the gun from the waistband of his jeans, her Father weak, staring his fate in the eyes.

"No one's gettin' out of this one..." He snarled once again, pointing the gun at Fergus' head 鉄ay goodnight, Your Majesty.

"No!" Rapunzel managed to scream out.

But as the word fell from her lips, the loud crack rang out.

Then, there was silence.

Gasping, Rapunzel watched as Scott fell backwards before landing at her side with horror in his lifeless eyes. The blood from the bullet wound between his eyes began to pool round him, seeping into the cracks in the floor boards at her feet. Body racking with dry sobs, she looked up to see her Father being helped to his feet by Flynn, gun clutched tightly in his hand.

"...F-Flynn?" She sobbed.

Helping Fergus to the bed, Flynn turned to see Rapunzel staggering to her feet. With tears in his own eyes, he dropped the gun, a soft whimper fell from his lips as she ran to him before falling into his open arms. Holding her close, they both broke down, the sound of roaring yells and thundering footsteps downstairs only a distant noise.

"You're alive..." She sobbed, pulling back to look into his swollen eyes "You're alive...

"Shh..." He cooed, pulling her back into his chest before placing a kiss to her forehead "It's over...It's finished. They can't hurt you anymore."

The voices grew louder, 'clear' ringing out from all around. Forcing himself back, Flynn felt his heart shatter at the look of pain in her eyes. He wanted nothing more than to hold her. Reassure her that everything would be fine. But he couldn't. He knew the truth...he knew the inevitable.

"I'm sorry..." He whispered as the thundering footsteps made their way up to the attic "I'm so sorry..."

"Flynn?" She stuttered out "What...what are you doing?"

But before he could say anything, the SWAT Team ran in; guns and flashlights pointing in his direction as they screamed their orders.

"Hands in the air!" Was their command "Get on your knees!"

Complying, Flynn never dropped her gaze, is hands going behind his head as he lowered himself to the ground. Wasting no time, he was put in a set of cuffs, Rapunzel screaming out to the officer as they did so.

"No! Wait!" She cried as they hauled him to his feet, the paramedics rushing in behind them.

"I'm sorry..." He spoke again "I'm sorry."

Only then was he forced to drop her gaze.


	19. Chapter Nineteen

**Chapter Nineteen**

The sun was setting, the clouds around them turning to fire; a fire that Flynn wished would engulf him and end it all.

 

The feeling of being able to breathe while his world fell apart was a feeling that he never knew was possible. Two weeks had passed since that night. Two long, tiresome weeks that had felt more like centuries. Centuries of not looking into her eyes. Centuries of waiting for his brother to die. Flynn didn't know that pain like that existed. The bullet to his shoulder felt like a reward in comparison.

 

Gazing out the small window, the sky's fire dancing across his bruised and cut face, Flynn couldn't quite understand how something as beautiful as the world they lived in could harbour the evilness that it did. Could harbour the hurt that it did. Everything looked so peaceful. So pure. But he knew that hidden in the shadows of the beauty, lurked the monsters that took pleasure in tearing it apart.

 

It wasn't until his own reflection jumped out at him, did he understand.

 

As they glided through the air, the clouds parting in their wake and the world's artistry shining out, Flynn couldn't stop the small gasp escaping his lips as he finally caught a glimpse of the one place on earth that called out to him and terrified him all at the same time. Corona. Any other day, he would have been left in awe at its loveliness; the high moors, a sea of greens and purples. The rocky plains; stepping stones down into a kingdom that shone like gold from their height.

 

He wondered if the monsters of the world had begun their work on it yet. He prayed they never would.

 

When he had been informed of the plan; the demand from King Fergus himself; that he be extradited to Corona for trial, an odd sense of release had washed over him. The two weeks of being placed in Solitude had been some of the longest in his life. By the end, a walk down the Green Mile would have been welcoming, and not a total surprise if he were being completely honest. For two weeks his thoughts had been consumed with the two people in the world that he cared more about than life itself.

 

Two people who he'd never see again.

 

The pain in his chest was all too familiar as his thoughts wandered to them. Eugene…dead…dying…he didn't even know anymore. The guilt that coursed through his veins at the memories of his baby brother played out in his mind like an old film. His unfulfilled promises ringing out like a siren. Empty promises, in the end. Silent prayers of sorrow was all he could offer now.

 

As for Rapunzel…well, he hadn't even been able to utter her name since the arrest. If he did, he was sure his heart would shatter in his chest. The look in her eyes that night…the look of fear as she watched Scott go for the kill…the blankness as she watched him fall to the ground. Flynn doubted he'd ever be able to forgive himself for leaving her with such memories. Memories that would take root in her mind and grow into nightmares.

 

He hated himself for that.

 

Catching sight of his reflection once again, Flynn turned away from the small window of the plane; his head hanging low as he stared at his cuffed hands. This was his life now. This was who he'd be forever. Anger mixed with defeat at the thought. With eyes screwed shut he pulled his head up; releasing a ragged breath before opening them once again to see Detective Max Guard sitting across from him with sad eyes. The whole journey had been spent in silence, but Flynn could hear loud and clear what Max was saying to him then.

 

With a clear of the throat, the detective stood before slowly shuffling over to the door of the cockpit. All Flynn could hear was a muffled whisper to the pilots before the door was closed over; Max turning round and hobbling back to his seat. Flynn could tell that he was still in pain. He had been on leave from work at the time of the King's demands, but the second he had caught wind of them, he had insisted he personally escort him to Corona. Flynn guessed, to finish what he had started.

 

"…I always hate flying." Max quietly spoke through the silence "Never know what to do with yourself. You always get caught up in your memories. The good and the bad."

 

Flynn couldn't help but look down once again.

 

"Well, I bet you'll be flying home with whole lot of good ones to add to the collection."

 

With a sad smile, Max gave a small nod of the head, silence setting in once again.

 

"You know, Rider…" He continued, his hands dangling between his knees "You have without a doubt, been one of the smartest kids I've ever had to chase after." Looking up, Flynn met the detectives stare "In my whole career, only one other case has ever had me as emotionally attached as this one did, and even then, the guy I was looking for was nowhere near as intelligent as you."

 

"With all due respect, Detective…" Flynn began "I think I'm a prime example of just how fine the line is between intelligence and stupidity."

 

"Caring for your brother is not stupid, Flynn." Max stated, his voice barely above a whisper "It's human."

 

Sitting back in his chair, Max looked down at his dangling hands, his lower lip quivering slightly. Exhaustion? Emotion? He didn't really know why he felt the need to share with the boy before him, but in the end he couldn't stop the story he had been holding in for so long; the story he had been hiding from the world for so many years, from spilling out.

 

"…I was just two years into my career when I got hit with my first abduction case…" He began solemnly "The kid…she was only 11 years old at the time…"

 

With a sad smile, Max forced the lump in his throat down. The lump that wanted so badly to burst out into an agonizing scream.

 

"She was only missing 42 hours before we found her…" He carried on, his glassy eyes looking everywhere but at Flynn.

 

Fixing his gaze on his hands once again, Max let a silent tear fall.

 

"He had spouted off the usual demands. A ransom for her safety." He croaked out, his right hand ghosting over the aging skin on the back of his left "…We had 24 hours to get the 500K together…"

 

Flynn could almost feel the pain in the older man's voice. The guilt. He wanted to say something. Anything. But in the end, silence was all he could utter.

 

All he could do was let Max continue.

 

"But me being me; the stubborn ass that I am, I had no intention in complying." Clearing his throat, Max finally looked Flynn in the eye; his own greying ones lifeless "…I wouldn't pay the ransom." Flynn could tell it was his confession "I believed we'd get her back safe and well. I wasn't going to reward the bastard for his deed…So I insisted that we wait…and we did. We waited thinking that we'd scare him, convince him into thinking that we weren't easily swayed under pressure…That we'd get him before he could harm her."

 

"And what happened?" Flynn whispered, his voice barely recognizable.

 

"…The next day, we got a phone call from some workers at the old quarry…" Max answered quietly "They'd dug up the body of a little girl that morning…Bullet wound to the back of the skull and note pinned to her t-shirt...Your loss then, it had said"

 

Flynn could feel the bile rise from his gut, his eyes squeezing shut as the words hit him.

 

She had just been a kid.

 

…Just a little kid.

 

Exhaling loudly, he sat back in his seat. He didn't know it was possible to hate someone he had never met.

 

"I take it that sort of case sticks with you for a while, huh?" He eventually asked, understanding now Max's determination to get Rapunzel back.

 

"It never goes away, Rider." Max responded, his voice broken as his silent tears began to fall "You never get over the loss of a child…especially if the child…is yours…"

 

Flynn, stunned, snapped up to look at the detective. The honest, yet brutal words of a father who would never forget. With mouth agape, he fought to find words that could be offered as some semblance of condolence…but in the end, no word spoken by man could ever be enough. Casting a glance out the window, Max cleared his throat once again, a silent confirmation that the conversation was over as he swiped at his glistening cheeks.

 

"Y'know…I never thanked you, Rider." He murmured while standing, straightening his tie as he did "…For saving me that night…"

 

Brows furrowed, Flynn gazed up at the man.

 

"You see, I thought I was already dead." He carried on softly "It took you jumping in with that bat to show me I wasn't…So for that, I thank you…Conrad and I, well we owe you our lives."

 

All Flynn could do was give a small nod before Max stood and headed towards the seat at the back of the plane.

 

"Best buckle up…We'll be landing in just a few minutes."

 

…

 

His feet had felt like lead as he was helped up; his cuffs cutting in to his wrists ever so slightly. Flynn didn't really know what to expect once they stepped off the plane. Cameras? News crews? He wouldn't have been surprised. He doubted there was a soul in the entire world who hadn't heard of his name by now. An unwanted fame. With head hung low, he braced himself for whatever was to come once he stepped outside; but what he was greeted with as the heavy door swung open, was nothing like he had been expecting.

 

Emptiness.

 

Not a soul to be seen for miles.

 

Only two lonely black limos down below.

 

Eyes squinting against the light, Max carefully led him down the stairs towards the waiting cars, the quietness almost deafening. As they reached the bottom step, a tall man stepped out from each car; both dressed in simple black suits and ties. With his confusion growing, Flynn turned to Max in wonder and panic as the detective reached into his pocket and pulled out the keys to the cuffs.

 

"You'll be following behind." He mumbled, nodding to the limo at the back before slipping the cuffs off and stuffing them into his pocket.

 

"What?" Flynn asked, rubbing at his wrists.

 

But without answering, Max slipped passed and disappeared into the front limo; the door being slammed shut behind him by the man in the suit. Gobsmacked, Flynn turned to the other car, the rear door (like the detective's before) being held open for him. Hesitant at first, he slowly made his way over, a quick glance at the suited giant leaving him with no comfort before he reluctantly climbed in.

 

Now Flynn didn't really know what to expect when he had gotten into that car, but he knew without a shadow of a doubt, he was definitely not expecting what he found.

 

He could tell that Fergus was still healing from his wounds. His bruised and bloodied face almost mirrored his as they sat staring at each other.

 

Stunned into silence once again, Flynn looked down at his feet nervously before glancing up at the King, the limo slowly pulling out to follow in the direction of the other. With the windows blacked out, he had no idea where they were headed. His guess, a secluded prison where he would be hidden away for the rest of his life.

 

Shifting under the penetrative gaze of His Majesty, Flynn cleared his throat, his own sights darting back and forth in every direction.

 

"Would you like a drink?" Fergus quietly spoke, motioning towards the bottles of Whiskey sitting in the mini bar at his side.

 

Puzzled, Flynn looked between the bar and the King.

 

"Uh…" He finally managed to stutter out "No…No thanks, I'm good. Thank you."

 

With a quiet nod, Fergus drew his attention away from the drinks and lifted a small wooden box that sat at his side.

 

"Cigar?" He asked, opening the box of Cubans.

 

"Uh…" Was Flynn's reply once again "Thanks…but I'm trying to quit."

 

And he was, if he was totally honest. He remembered Rapunzel had hated his smoking. That, and he hadn't been able to find a smoke in the past two weeks. Quitting was almost like child's play now.

 

With a soft smile, Fergus closed the box over and sat it back down, his eyes never leaving Flynn.

 

"How was your flight?" He gently asked, his hands clasping on his lap.

 

"It was...pleasant enough." Flynn lied, Max's story still ringing out "Corona looks very beautiful from where I was sitting. You must be proud."

 

Fergus just smiled as the Limo gently turned a corner; Flynn's curiosity burning.

 

"I certainly am." He agreed with a nod "Some may say I'm biased, but I believe it is the most beautiful place in the world."

 

Lips tugging up slightly, Flynn gave his own small nod before shifting in his seat once again.

 

"I don't think that's a biased opinion."

 

They spent most of the journey in silence, Fergus muttering every so often that they didn't have long to go. If Flynn was totally honest with himself, he found the King's politeness a little unsettling. He had no idea if the act of appearing calm and inviting was simply that. An act. Just a motion before he found himself stopping in a hidden part of the forest, forced on his knees and done away with.

 

Weaving in and out of the streets of Corona, Flynn tried to suss out the directions they were taking, but in the end, it had been futile. It wasn't until he felt the limo begin on a downward trek that he felt his panic build up once again. Underground. That's where they were heading.

 

Once they had finally come to a stop, Fergus had wasted no time in stepping out, Flynn warily following behind. He knew the end had come when he found himself in an underground car park, not a single vehicle to be seen. Not even Max's

 

"Try not look so worried." Fergus smirked, nodding to the suited giant that he could take his leave.

 

With his own firm bop of the head, Flynn watched as the man climbed back into the limo and drove off. He couldn't stop the relaxation from washing over him; his anxiety quickly fading away. But no sooner had his panic begun to fade before it was replaced with the confusion he was becoming so accustomed to.

 

Without saying a word, he watched as Fergus began to make his way down the car park, a quick glance over his shoulder and impatient nod of the head letting Flynn know he was to follow.

 

"Uh, Your Highness…" Flynn finally spat out, as he jogged to keep up "I don't mean to be rude, and I know that I really don't have any rights anymore, but can you please tell me what's going on? Put me out of my misery."

 

With a smile, Fergus let out a soft chuckle before coming to a stop outside an elevator that had been hidden away in shadows.

 

"Just follow me." He said, hitting the button for the doors slid open "After you."

 

A little reluctantly; and nervously if he was honest; Flynn stepped into the small space. He had no idea where they could have been heading, his mind wandering in all directions, but as Fergus stepped in behind him, the doors closing as he punched the button for the fifth floor, he knew that he wouldn't have to wait long to find out.

 

But the journey past each floor seemed to drag on, neither one of them uttering a single word as they climbed up through the unknown building. With eyes trained on the King, Flynn shifted from foot to foot; the calmness from the man at his side doing little to sooth him. By the time they had reached their floor, Flynn's panic had returned. He could feel his heart thundering away in his chest, threatening to burst out at any given moment. He had no idea what awaited him once those doors open.

 

He could only say that what he saw, was nothing like he had expected.

 

Brows knitted together, Flynn followed Fergus out onto the quiet hospital ward, the few nurses and doctors doing their rounds paying them little attention. Still in their silence, Fergus began to lead Flynn down the long white corridor, the muffled sounds of machines working away in the background breaking into their quietness.

 

"You know, I've been wanting to meet you for a while now, Mr. Rider…" Fergus finally spoke, glancing at the boy to his side "Understandably, of course."

 

"…Understandably." Flynn agreed, his voice barely above a whisper as they slowly made their way down the hallway.

 

"The world that you introduced my daughter to…" He continued, his voice laced with hurt "The danger that you catapulted her into; the danger that you threw us all into! It was unforgivable…"

 

Flynn felt the familiar guilt tear through him. Felt his heart shatter once again at the mention of her. As they reached the end of the hallway, Fergus turned to face him fully, a sadness dancing behind his eyes.

 

"When we were searching for you, I knew I wanted nothing more than to see you rot away behind bars for the rest of your natural life." He confessed; one that did little to shock Flynn "As far as I was concerned, you were nothing but a selfish, self-centred man who cared little about the lives of those who you were affecting…And now, at the end of it all, the lives that have been forever altered amount to far more than just mine and my families."

 

Dipping his head, Flynn forced himself to hold it together, because in the end, he was right. No matter how painful that truth was, King Fergus would always be right.

 

"I found it difficult to believe that one man could accomplish the things that you did." Fergus carried on, his voice never changing "I found it difficult to believe that one man could be the mastermind behind such an elaborate, yet idiotic plan. That he could send the entire MPDC into a frenzy. That he could cause a potential international crisis…"

 

With every word, Flynn felt his body break.

 

"And, on top of it all…" Fergus said "I found it difficult to believe that that same man could single handily risk his life, could put a bullet between the eyes of his own friend, just to save the lives of those looking for him...If it wasn't for that man, I wouldn't be here…and neither would my daughter…For that, I owe that man everything."

 

Flynn couldn't stop himself from snapping up in surprise, the sadness and hurt that was once etched firmly on the King's face quickly being replaced by a small smile. In disbelief, Flynn stared up at Fergus as he stretched out a hand; one that he found himself hesitant to take.

 

"Your Highness…" He softly spoke, his voice weak with defeat "I'm no hero. I shouldn't be treated like one…Especially by you."

 

"Son…" Fergus replied, his outstretch hand moving to rest on Flynn's good shoulder "Life, I have come to learn, is a very complicated thing that has the tendency to deal us a lousy hand. More often than not, we don't ask for the things that pull us down and disable us, but in the end, it is up to us to find a way to pick ourselves back up and keep moving forward."

 

In silence, Flynn looked down to his feet, the familiar burn of tears stinging the back of his eyes.

 

"You, I came to realise…" He carried on, his strong voice softening ever so slightly "Were dealt a particularly nasty hand." With a small whimper, Flynn could only reply with a broken nod "I heard about your brother…" Fergus practically whispered "Rapunzel…well, she explained it to me once we got home. About how he was ill."

 

Clearing his throat, Flynn pushed back the tears and forced himself to look up.

 

"Brain tumour." He croaked out "Operable, but only with the right insurance…Life dealt us a pretty shitty hand when we realized that we didn't have that."

 

"Mm-hmm." Fergus mumbled in agreement "In the end though, when it comes to the ones that we love, we never give up. Even when things seem hopeless...Am I right?"

 

"Yeah." Flynn nodded with a sad smile "You'll do anything to try and save them…but what you don't realize is that at the time, the decisions you make and the actions you take, can leave you worse off in the end…"

 

Tears falling, a laughter erupted from deep within Flynn's chest. A cynical, dry laughter that bore more pain than Fergus though imaginable.

 

"I mean, look at me!" He bellowed, hands falling to his sides "I kidnapped a girl to save the only family that I had left, and out of everyone in the whole world that I could have fallen for, it had to be her!? And on top of it all, after everything that I did and went through, I'll now never get to see either of them again."

 

"Why do you say that?" Fergus asked, his hands making their way into their pockets.

 

"Because she's the Princess…" Flynn replied, defeat evident "And he…he's already be dead…"

 

"Really?" He questioned, his lips curling up ever so slightly "And what makes you so sure of that?"

 

Unable to answer, he just stared at him, his confusion returning full force as he watched Fergus' smile grow; a small nod of the head telling Flynn to look behind him.

 

Brows knitted together, Flynn slowly turned to find that they had been standing outside a small room at the end of the corridor the whole time. Glancing back at the King, he was urged on once again to look, his smile never faltering. With the smallest steps imaginable, Flynn slowly approached the door, a small pane of glass separating him from whatever was inside.

 

And then…he saw it.

 

He saw him.

 

Hands flying to clutch at his hair, Flynn didn't bother trying to hold back the loud sob that broke out from his chest; his tears flowing fast and free as he stared in the window to see his baby brother lying sound asleep with a large bandage round his head.

 

"Did you know that Corona is home to some of the worlds most renowned neurologists?" Fergus asked before coming to stand at his side.

 

"I don't understand?" Flynn sobbed, turning to face the King "You brought him here?"

 

"I didn't need much persuading." Fergus replied, turning to look through the window with a proud smile.

 

Turning back, Flynn couldn't stop the small gasp from spilling out as he watched a very tired looking Rapunzel walk out from the bathroom before taking a seat by his brother's side; her hand immediately enveloping his as she closed her eyes.

 

"She hasn't left his side since he arrived here last week." Fergus quietly informed "All through his surgery, all 14 hours, she sat there waiting. Praying."

 

Wiping his tears away ferociously, Flynn turned to Fergus.

 

"I…I'll never be able to find a way to thank you enough." He whispered.

 

"How about joining my family and me for dinner tonight as a free man?" He smiled "And, as my friend."

 

Without answering, Flynn did the only thing he could think of. He smiled, and hugged him.

 

"…I'd like that very much."

 

Chuckling softly, Fergus patted Flynn gently on the back as they broke apart; a quick glance over his shoulder and a small nod to the nurse by the reception desk calling out to him.

 

"Well, we look forward to seeing you and Detective Guard tonight." Fergus smiled "But if you'll excuse me, I must go and fill out some paperwork."

 

"Of course." Flynn replied as the King began to walk off.

 

But before he could make it any further, he turned back, his smile still firmly set in place.

 

"…Go see your brother, Flynn."

 

With the first real smile he had managed to give in what felt like forever, Flynn nodded happily before Fergus dashed off. Taking a deep breath, his hands running through his hair once again, he slowly turned back towards the door, his hand nervously reaching out to grab hold of the handle.

 

He was surprised at the peace he felt as he stepped foot inside, the soft beeps from the machines bringing him a sense of comfort for the first time. Closing the door quietly, he chose to just stand. All he wanted was to look for a while, the sight of the two people he loved most causing his heart to flutter. But as the door clicked shut, her eyes opened. Wide and full of life. Just like he remembered.

 

She didn't say anything as she slowly stood to her feet; her attire of faded jeans and a long sleeved t-shirt a far cry from royalty. With eyes glistening and lip trembling she hesitantly stepped out, Eugene never rousing from his slumber.

 

"Flynn…" She finally whispered as she approached, her hand hesitantly reaching out to touch his cheek "You're really here…I told my dad to wake me when you arrived…"

 

"Shh…" Was his whispered reply as he reached out to brush a silent tear from her cheek "I just got here…" Glancing at his brother, he smiled "I just can't believe all this…"

 

Looking over her shoulder, Rapunzel smiled.

 

"I couldn't let him lose his battle." She said before turning back to face him "I couldn't let you lose him…"

 

Smile growing, Flynn reached out and pulled her close; his lips finding her cheeks, forehead and nose before reaching her lips.

 

"Thank you." He croaked before ending with a final kiss "…Thank you."

 

Pulling back, and wiping her tears away, Rapunzel smiled up at him as he ran a hand through her hair.

 

"So tell me Flynn Rider…" She began "What are you going to do now that you're a free man?"

 

Looking to his brother again, his smile never faltered before he fixed his gaze on hers.

 

"What am I going to do?" He asked, holding her close "…I'm going to live."

 

With her own smile growing, Rapunzel reached down and took his hand, his strong fingers intertwining with hers, clutching her hand tightly. He never wanted to let her go, and this time, Flynn knew, he would never need to again.

 

 


End file.
